A  YANKEE  ON  THE  YANGTZE. 


YANKEE   ON   THE 
YANGTZE 


BEING  A  NARRATIVE  OF  A  JOURNEY 
FROM  SHANGHAI  THROUGH  THE 
CENTRAL  KINGDOM  TO  BURMA 


BY 
WILLIAM  EDGAR  GEIL 

Author  of  "The  Isle  that  is  called  Patmos  ;  "  "  Ocean  and  Isle  ;  "  u  Laodicea, 
or  the  Star;  of  a  Marble  Foot." 


WITH  ONE  HUNDRED  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW  YORK 
A.  C.  ARMSTRONG  AND  SON 

3  &  5  WEST  i8th  STREET,  NEAR  5th  AVENUE 
1904 


£44- 


COPYRIGHT,  1904 
BY  A.  C.  ARMSTRONG  AND  SON 


CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION _..        .    xiii. 

CHAPTER  I. 

To  THE  YELLOW  FROM  THE  BLUE — SHANGHAI — WOMEN 
IN  CHINA  —  SUPERSTITIONS  —  OPIUM  —  CHINESE 
LEARNING  i 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE  MIDNIGHT  START — TRAVELLING  IN  NATIVE  STYLE — 
CHINESE  FOOD — NANKING — THE  EXAMINATION  HALL 
—CURIOUS  FEATURES  OF  THE  EXAMINATION— MIS- 
SIONARY WORK  IN  CHINA  -  -  12 

CHAPTER  III. 

NANKING  TO  HANKOW—'  GLORY  FACE  '—STALE  WITTI- 
CISMS REGARDING  MISSIONARIES — ARE  MISSIONS  A 
SUCCESS? — AMERICAN  GUEST  ROOMS — A  VISIT  TO 
THE  VICEROY,  TUAN  FANG  34 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  KING  RIVER— FROM  HANKOW  TO  ICHANG — RIOTS  AND 
REBELLIONS  IN  CHINA — CHRISTMAS  NIGHT — OLD 
MOON  AND  THE  YANKEE  FLAG  -  -  -  S3 

CHAPTER  V. 

THROUGH  THE  GREAT  YANGTZE  GORGES— ICHANG  TO  THE 
WILD  RAPIDS— IN  A  CHINESE  GUNBOAT— THE  RED 
HEIFER— RIVER  DISASTERS— THE  SACRED  EDICT- 
SALUTING  THE  AMERICAN  FLAG  69 


vi.  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  WEALTH  AND  INDUSTRIES  OF  SZECHUEN— WAN— 
A  VICEROY'S  OPINION  OF  OPIUM — BOXER  TROUBLES 
— A  MARRIAGE  BREAKFAST  —  FLOODS  AND  FIRES 
—CHINESE  CREDULITY  —  CHINESE  CULTURE  AND 
CHRISTIANITY  85 

CHAPTER  VII. 

CHINESE  CAPABLE  OF  HURRYING— AN  EXCITING  WALK- 
CHUNGKING — THE  UBIQUITOUS  BAMBOO — A  NATIVE 
CONTRACT  FOR  COOLIES — MISSIONS  IN  CHUNGKING — 
ON  THE  ROAD  TO  LUCHOW  102 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

MISSIONARY  NEEDS— THE  WEARING  OF  NATIVE  DRESS— 
LUCHOW — VISIT  TO  A  MANDARIN — CHINESE  PRIS- 
ONERS— A  PROTECTING  TICKET — SALT  WELLS  119 

CHAPTER  IX. 

DROUGHT  AND  NATIVE  SUPERSTITIONS — CHINESE  IRRIGATION 
AND  ENGINEERING  FEATS — THE  MANDARIN'S  SATUR- 
NALIA— MISSIONARY  PROGRESS — A  CHINESE  GENTLE- 
MAN AT  HOME  135 

CHAPTER  X. 

A  ROYAL  WELCOME — ROCK  CAVES  —  THE  VIRTUES  OF 
'BY  PROXY'  — A  STREET  MELEE  —  ABORIGINAL 
CHIEFTAINS  —  OLD  HERO  BENEVOLENCE  —  LACQUER 
TREES  147 

CHAPTER  XL 

A   MANDARIN'S   VIEW   OF   COPPER   MINING  —  BARBARITIES 

TO   CHILDREN — THE   GODS  OF  CHOWTUNG — CHINESE 

SINGING — GAMBLING — DEATH    TO    THE    UNFILIAL — 

SHRINE  OF  THE  MAGIC  PEN— THE  TEMPLE  OF  HELL 

— INFANTICIDE^ 167 


CONTENTS  vii. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

FIGHTING  A  FAMINE— THE  MOHAMMEDAN  REBELLION- 
WILD  BEASTS  IN  CHINA — ATTACKS  OF  WOLVES — 
WHITE  WAX  INSECTS — HONOURING  A  WIDOW  -  181 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

TONGCHUAN — STREET  SCENES — ITINERANT  MUSICIANS — 
BLINDNESS  RESULTING  FROM  GRIEF — PAPER  FOR- 
TUNES FOR  THE  DEAD — TEN  THOUSAND  FEET  ABOVE 
THE  SEA— LEPERS  CREMATED  ALIVE  -  -  193 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

How  TO  TRAVEL — WRITTEN  AGREEMENTS — CHINESE  COOLIES 
— ARCHERY  TESTS — THE  RULE  OF  VICEROY  TS'EN — 
BLOOD  AND  IRON  -------  202 


CHAPTER  XV. 

CHINESE   INTERPRETERS — A    STREET   OF    SHOPS — A    MYTH 
WITH  A  MEANING — AN  INTERVIEW  WITH  A  VICEROY 
— OFFICIAL     APATHY    IN     CHINA — THE    GREATEST 
NEEDS     OF     CHINA  — THE     YAMEN    IN     TIME    OF  . 
REBELLION  214 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

TELEGRAPHS  IN  YUNNAN  —  CHINESE  DEMONSTRATION 
OF  GRIEF  —  THE  SWITZERLAND  OF  CHINA  —  A 
GRUESOME  WARNING  TO  EVIL  DOERS  —  HORRIBLE 
FATE  OF  PARRICIDES  —  OLD  PAN'S  INN  — THE 
MYSTERIOUS  BOHO  REVEALED  —  A  WELL  OF 
WONDER  -  -  224 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

TALIFU— STORY  OF  THE  DEMON  No  KAI— A  MOHAMMEDAN 
RISING  —  A  CHINESE  SANATORIUM  —  A  CHINESE 
SHOEMAKER  AT  WORK  -  -  234 


viii.  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  EFFECTS  OF  OPIUM — THE  GODDESS  OF  MERCY  HALL 
— AN  IMPREGNABLE  FORTIFICATION — AN  ODORIFEROUS 
INN— MOSLEM  COFFINS— A  KINDLY  MULLAH— A 
PLAGUE  OF  INCENSE  -  243 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  WEIRD  PROCESSION— A  WEDDING  REPAST— AN  ANCIENT 
FESTIVAL — THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  SHADOW — THE  MON- 
STER OF  THE  SAL  WEEN  RlVER — COOLIE  SUPERSTITIONS 

— AN  UNGRATEFUL  PATIENT       -  254 

CHAPTER  XX. 

CHINESE  FAITH  IN  FOREIGN  MEDICINE  —  TENGYUEH 
PLAIN  —  A  LEGEND  OF  TATUNG  —  THE  ORIGIN  OF 
PEAT  —  CHINESE  BILLS  —  WANT  OF  MISSIONS  IN 
TENGYUEH  —  BLUE  FRIEND  THREE  — A  PEARL  OF 
PRICE  -  265 

CHAPTER  XXL 

SHAN  VILLAGES  —  NANTIEN  —  SHANS  AND  BURMESE  — 
A  THEATRICAL  PERFORMANCE — SHAVING  IN  PUBLIC 
—  MURDER  OF  MR.  MARGARY  —  A  CENTRE  OF 
GAMBLING  —  BURYING  A  SPIRIT  —  LEAVES  FROM  A 
DIARY  -  277 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

MYOTHIT— A  RECKLESS  COOK— BHAMO,  THE  CITY  OF  POTS- 
MISSIONS  IN  BHAMO— BURMESE  NATS— THE  SHANS 
—BOUND  FOR  MANDALAY 291 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  END  OF  THE  JOURNEY— BEHEADING  A  GOD— RANGOON 
— A  CAT  HUNT— THE  MISTAKES  OF  MISSIONARIES — 
THE  DEVOTION  OF  MISSIONARIES  AND  THE  CLAIMS  OF 

THEIR  CAUSE          ------  301 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Mostly  from  photographs  by  the  Author;  a  few  by  G.  F. 
Stocks,  W.  C.  Taylor  and  A.  H.  Faers. 

Facing 
page 

Memorial  Arch  at  Ta  Shui  Ting       -        -      Frontispiece 

Street   Scene   in   Shanghai    -                _____  4 

The  Author's  Chinese  Visiting  Card    -----  5 

A  Rich  Man's  Grave  near  the  Yangtze  10 

Idols  near  Shanghai      -                         -  10 

The  Great  Shanghai  Pagoda                  -        -        -        -        -  II 

Irrigating  Rice  Fields  in  the  Province  of  Kiangsu  16 

A  Begging  Buddhist  Monk -  16 

Native-built  Bridge  near  Shanghai        -----  17 

Shanghai  Railway  Station     -                22 

Missionary  Ready  for  Journey              23 

Net  Fishing  on  the  Yangtze  -                23 

Ancient  Gate  at  Nanking                        -----  28 

The  Great  Nanking  Examination  Hall  -----  29 

Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Nanking  University  34 

Tuan  Fang     - 35 

The  Sacred  Tree  of  Ichang                                                       -  40 

Hideous  Stone  God  near  Ichang    - 41 

Nun  of  the  Pyramid,  Ichang         ------  41 

Lady  Missionaries'  Training  Institute    -        -        -        -        -  46 

Missionaries  on  the  Kiang  Wo      ------  47 

The  Scottish  Missionaries  of  Ichang  47 

Ploughing  Rice  Field  with  a  Water  Buffalo                         -  52 

Ploughing  with  Chinese  Coolies  near  Ichang                -        -  52 


x.  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Facing 
page 

Native   Graveyard   in   Ichang  53 

Chief  Yamen  of  Ichang  53 

Roman  Catholic  Mission,  Ichang   -  58 

Temple  of  Confucius               --..___  58 

Mandarin  Chang  Chuin  Teng  of  Szechuen  59 

Towing  the  Author's  Gunboat,  Upper  Yangtze      -        -        -  64 

The  Author's  Two  Boats      -------  64 

Inner  Door  of  Hunan's  Richest  Temple                                 -  65 

Red  Life  Boat  on  the  Upper  Yangtze  65 
The  Great  Ox  Liver  Gorge    -------70 

Lower  Entrance  to  the  Wu  Shan  Gorge  71 

Cargo  Boat  Ascending  the  le-t'an  Rapids                      -        -  71 

Taoist  Temple  at  Tungling  Rapids                                          -  76 

White  Bones  Pagoda,  Shin  Tan  Rapids  76 

Buddhist  Nuns       --                ---___  77 

Mr.  Shu,  Minor  Official  near  Wan  82 

The  Evangelist  of  Wan  83 

Taylor's  Shadow    -                                                                   -  83 

Early  Rice      -----  88 

Ho  Girls  on  the  Upper  Yangtze  88 

Three  Noted  Missionaries  89 

The  Bridge  of  Wan                                                                   -  94 

The  Church  of  Wan       -                                                          -  94 

The  Author's  "  Old  Tub  "  moored  at  Chungking  95 

Ancestral  Shrine  near  Pi  Shih      -        -                                  -  100 

Memorial  Arch  on  the  Great  Road  to  Chentu                          -  101 
On     the     Great     Stone     Road     between     Chungking     and 

Luchow    ------                                 _  I06 

Memorial  Arch,  Village  of  the  Marvellous  Raven  107 

By  the  Gate  of  the  Luchow  Yamen  112 

Memorial  Arch  to  a  Virtuous  Widow  112 

Five  Heads  at  a  Yamen  Gate        -  113 

Comfortable  Homestead  near  Luchow  -  118 

Beautiful  Szechuen  Landscape       -        -  118 

A  Pretty  Nook  outside  North  Gate,  Suifu  119 

Group  of  Local  Deities,  Suifu  124 

A  Bridge  Built  by  Public  Subscription  125 

Life  Boat  Station  130 

Congratulatory  Tablet  131 

Outside  the  Ho-Kiang  Gate,  Suifu  136 

His  Excellency  Ho  and  Family  137 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xi. 

Facing 
page 

Coffins,  Spirit  Shrines  and  Ingots        -                -        -  -     I42 

Author's  Caravan  en  route  to  Laowa  Tan     -  143 

Two  Bridges  on  the  Chowtung  Road  -     148 

Caves  of  the  Barbarians        -  -     149 

Caves  in  the  Red  Rock  Region,  Rat  Mountain  154 
Temples  near  Laowa  Tan      -------     155 

Magnificent  Gorge  on  the  Laowa  Tan  River        -  160 

Graves  at  Shin  Gai  North,  and  Old  Hero  Benevolence  -     161 

Two  Chinese  Women  -     166 

Chowtung  Roofs     -----  -167 

The  Author  in  his  Great  Goat  Skin  Coat  172 

Temple  of  the  Black  God  173 

Theatrical  Stage,  Temple  of  the  Black  God,  Chowtung  178 

Shrine  of  the  Magic  Pen        -        -  179 

Tower  to  the  God  of  Literature,  Chowtung  184 

Two  Road  Scenes  near  Yanglin    -        -  185 

Travelling  Tinkers  on  the  Tong  Chuan  Road  190 

The  Two  Great  Pagodas  of  Yunnan  Fu  196 

Central  Hall  of  the  Hell  Temple,  Yunnan  Fu  197 

Two  Stone  Arch  Bridges  in  Far  Western  China  202 

A  Wayside  Tea  House  -  203 

A  Youthful  Coolie  Carrying  Firewood  208 

A  Mountain  Stream,  Far  Western  China      -        -  208 

Old  Loh  and  Temple  of  the  City  God,  Chu  Siting  Fu    -  209 

Wayside  Shrine    -  214 

Dog  Lee  and  Spring  Lee  214 

Great  Square  Pagoda,  Chii  Siting  Fu,  Yunnan  Province  -    215 

The  God  Hung      -  220 

The  Great  Warrior  Idol  Hah  221 

Mission  House,  Talifu  -  226 

The  Top  of  the  City  Wall  227 

Great  North  Gate,  Talifu        -  232 

Three  Pagodas  and  Snow  Mountains  at  Tali  -     233 

Rest  House  at  Taiping  Pu  238 

Inside  View  of  the  Mekong  Suspension  Bridge  239 

Suspension  Bridge  at  the  Great  Gorge,  Mekong  River  -  244 

Double  Suspension  Bridge  across  the  Sal  ween  245 

Chinese  Imperial  Customs,  Tengyueh  250 

Tengyueh  Theatre  251 

Artistic  Triumphs,  Far  Western  China  256 

Temple  of  the  God  of  Riches,  Tengyueh        -  257 


xii.  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Facing 

The  Long  River     -                        ---.__  ^62 
West  Gate  of  Nantien,  Capital  of  the  Shans        -        -        -263 

Shan  Sawbwas'  Yamen  -        -        -        -        -        _        __  2gg 

Building  of  a  New  Bridge  at  Nantien    -----  269 

The  Stockade  at  Shihti  -                         -----  274 

Grave  of  a  Kachin  Warrior    -                275 

Long  Kachin  House      -----___  28o 

Bamboo  Village  of  the  Wild  Kachins 281 

Bamboo  Hut  by  the  Hongmuho    ------  286 

Hongmuho  and  the  British  Outpost      -        -        -        -        -  287 

Government  Rest-House,  Myothit,  Burma    -        -        -        -  292 

Dak  Bungalow,  Nampoung    •                         -        -        -        -  293 

A  Mission  in  Bhamo    -----_._  298 

The  Four  Hundred-odd  Pagodas  at  Mandalay    -        -        -  299 


INTRODUCTION. 


"  Westward,  the  course  of  Empire  holds  its  way." 
But  westward  from  where?  Shall  it  be  a  land  move- 
ment, or  a  sea  movement?  Shall  the  all-pervading 
white  man  surge  across  the  Pacific  Ocean  out  of  the 
Golden  Gate,  and  imbue  with  his  ideals  Japan  of  the 
Golden  Chrysanthemum  and  the  Flowery  Kingdom 
of  China?  Or  shall  the  philosophers  of  China  rise  in 
slow  wrath  against  the  foreign  devils  who  have  yapped 
at  their  heels,  and  sweep  them  resistlessly  with  their 
mushroom  civilization  away  back  out  of  Asia  and  out 
of  Europe  into  the  Atlantic,  or  into  the  useless  parts 
of  the  earth  ? 

Not  long  ago  we  were  warned  that  the  Yellow  Man 
with  the  white  money  was  likely,  by  his  industrial 
methods,  to  squeeze  out  the  white  man  with  the  yellow 
money.  British  Columbia,  California,  and  Australia 
fear  this,  and  would  fain  keep  him  out;  but  they  do 
not  always  keep  out  his  goods.  And  apart  from 
commercial  rivalry,  military  observers  have  wondered 
whether  the  Asiatic  hordes  may  not  once  again  realize 
their  latent  strength,  and  whether  aroused  China, 
inspired  by  the  example  of  Japan,  might  not  submerge 


xiv.  INTRODUCTION 

the  Western  nations.  Not  once  or  twice  only  has 
the  East  menaced  the  very  existence  of  Europe.  The 
names  of  Zinghiz  Khan  and  Tamerlane  may  be  hardly 
remembered  to-day,  but  once  they  were  spoken  of  with 
bated  breath,  and  their  track  was  marked  by  ruined 
cities  and  pyramids  of  human  heads.  And  even  now 
barbarians  who  have  planted  on  the  Bosphorus  these 
methods  of  Turkestan  trample  on  and  massacre 
thousands  of  miserable  Europeans. 

Men  have  sometimes  wondered  whether,  before  the 
Easterners  move,  they  can  be  conciliated  or  indoc- 
trinated with  Western  ideals.  The  experiment  has 
failed  twice.  More  than  1000  years  ago  the  Persian 
Christians  sent  overland  a  few  ardent  propagandists. 
They  won  the  Emperor's  favour,  translated  and  printed 
the  Scriptures  in  Chinese,  trained  their  native  converts 
to  carry  on  their  work.  But  they  could  not  let  it  be 
purely  Chinese,  and  maintained  some  sort  of  subjection 
to  a  dignitary  on  the  Euphrates.  And  when  there 
came  a  great  Mongol  invasion  that  crushed  China  to 
the  ground,  the  exotic  perished ;  when  Chinese  elasticity 
asserted  itself  again,  this  rose  not.  The  tablet  of 
Si  Ngan  remains  as  a  monument  of  this  movement 
that  failed. 

The  Roman  Christians  tried  next,  Franciscans  and 
Jesuits  both  innoculating  the  East.  They  were  only  too 
complaisant  to  native  ideas,  the  Jesuits,  at  least,  wire- 
drawing their  doctrines  to  an  unprecedented  tenuity. 
Yet  they  too  failed,  and  their  work  was  cut  short. 

Protestants    have   now    renewed    the    attempt.      It 


INTRODUCTION  xv. 

seemed  indeed  as  if  the  Boxers  would  for  a  third  time 
repel  the  foreign  influence.  But  this  time  the  move- 
ment seems  to  have  more  vitality;  it  bowed  before 
the  storm,  and  arose  with  new  vigour  when  the  flash 
had  spent  itself.  Men  like  Woodbridge  have  won  the 
confidence  of  officials ;  natives  are  themselves  spreading 
Christianity.  The  third  failure  is  not  yet.  Why 
should  there  be  a  third  failure?  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
was  an  Asiatic,  and  Asiatics  ought  to  understand  Him 
better  than  we  do.  If  they  will,  then  will  East  and 
West  understand  one  another  better,  and  no  yellow 
peril  need  be  feared. 
But  the  hope  for 

Peace  upon  earth, 

Goodwill  among  men 

is  likely  to  be  idle  unless  the  nations  accept  Him  who 
was  born  at  Bethlehem,  as  their  Saviour,  their  Ideal, 

their  Lord. 

WILLIAM  EDGAR  GEIL. 

DOYLESTOWN,  PENNSYLVANIA. 


There  is  no  difficulty  in  the  world  that  cannot  be  overcome  by 
the  man  who  hustles. — Current  Proverb. 


CHAPTER  I. 

TO  THE  YELLOW   FROM   THE  BLUE SHANGHAI 

WOMEN      IN      CHINA — SUPERSTITIONS — OPIUM — 
CHINESE   LEARNING. 

HE  Yangtze  River  colours  the  Pacific 

I  Ocean  for  a  distance  of  thirty  miles 
from  the  China  coast.  The  amount 
of  earth  carried  down  this  mighty 
stream  and  deposited  on  the  sloping 
sea-floor  is  incalculable.  As  a  land- 
maker  this  Chinese  Mississippi  can- 
not be  excelled.  It  has  brought 
down  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
Province  of  Kiangsu  from  the  west, 
and  gradually  dropped  it  piecemeal 
as  mud.  Large  tracts  of  land  on  which  many  natives 
now  contentedly  live  and  cultivate  their  fields  of  rice, 
cotton  and  wheat,  were  known  to  their  forefathers 
as  "  The  Sea."  To-day  the  river  is  still  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  territory,  robbing  the  West 
to  enrich  the  East,  and  roiling  the  brine  of  the 
oft-times  unpacific  deep.  The  traveller  to  China  dis- 
covers the  saffron  and  chocolate  long  before  he  sights 
the  low-lying  coast.  Sometimes  it  is  a  plunge  in 


Carrier. 


2   TO  THE  YELLOW  FROM  THE  BLUE 

medias  res  when  the  sea  is  calm  and  the  blue  and  yellow 
refuse  to  mix;  then  the  ship  glides  over  a  distinct  line 
from  sea  blue  to  river  yellow.  The  draught  of  the  big 
Pacific  liners  is  too  heavy  to  admit  of  their  ascending 
the  little  tidal  river  Hwangpu,  on  which  the  "  Model 
Settlement  of  Shanghai  "  is  situated,  so  our  ship  drops 
anchor  some  miles  off  the  Chinese  village  of  Woosung, 
twelve  miles  from  the  Settlement,  where  the  mouth  of 
the  Hwangpu  "kisses  the  Yangtze  sea-shore.  The  pas- 
senger is  transferred  from  the  ship  to  a  tug,  which 
carries  him  and  his  baggage  up  the  river,  over  the 
"  Heaven-sent  Barrier  "  near  the  mouth.  This  barrier 
menaces  navigation.  The  tides  are  high  and  the  waters 
of  the  Hwangpu  run  like  a  mill-race;  many  unwary 
junks  and  steamers  which  have  incautiously  ventured 
too  much,  have  been  wrecked  on  the  Barrier,  which  sea 
captains  have  sworn  was  not  heaven-sent. 

Shanghai  is  the  great  metropolis  of  the  East,  and 
everybody  who  visits  the  Far  Orient,  at  some  time  or 
other,  turns  up  at  this  city,  where  not  two,  but  a  dozen, 
seas  meet:  Americans,  English,  Germans,  French, 
Russians,  Portuguese,  Dutch,  Italians,  Japanese, 
Koreans,  and  all  the  rest.  Says  Henry  Norman: 
"  Among  the  many  surprises  of  a  journey  to  the  Far 
East  one  of  the  greatest  is  certainly  the  first  sight  of 
Shanghai.  ...  I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes. 
There  lay  a  magnificent  city  surrounding  a  broad  and 
crowded  river,  though  the  magnificence  is  only  skin- 
deep,  all  the  architectural  beauty  and  solidity  of 
Shanghai  being  along  the  river ;  but  I  am  speaking  of 
the  first  impressions  of  Shanghai,  and  in  this  respect  it 
is  superior  to  New  York,  far  ahead  of  San  Francisco, 
and  almost  as  imposing  as  Liverpool  itself.  A  broad 
and  beautifully  kept  boulevard,  called,  of  course,  the 
Bund,  runs  around  the  river,  with  rows  of  well-grown 


SHANGHAI  3 

trees  and  broad  grassplat  at  the  water's  edge ;  and  this 
Bund  is  lined  on  the  other  side  from  one  end  to  the 
other  with  mercantile  buildings  second  to  none  of 

their  kind  in  the  world At  the  upper  end 

of  the  Bund  a  large  patch  of  green  shows  the  Public 
Gardens,  where  the  band  plays  on  summer  evenings. 
All  night  all  Shanghai  is  bright  with  electric  light,  and 

its  telegraph  poles  remind  you  of  Chicago 

And  the  needed  touch  of  colour  is  added  to  the  scene 
as  you  look  at  it  from  on  deck,  by  the  gay  flags  of  the 
steamers  and  the  Consular  bunting  floating  over  the 
town." 

But  Shanghai  has  made  rapid  advances  since  Norman 
wrote.  The  American,  English  and  French  Settle- 
ments have  been  extended  far  beyond  their  original 
limits ;  and  imposing  buildings  and  terraces  have  been 
carried  back  for  miles  from  the  Bund.  Large  factories 
are  in  full  operation  making  silk  fabrics,  thread, 
matches,  and,  we  are  sorry  to  say,  beer.  It  is  inter- 
esting to  see  the  varied  humanity  which  emerges  from 
these  mills  and  the  business  houses  of  this  cosmopolitan 
port  when  the  two  hands  on  the  big  Customs  Clock 
press  the  button  on  the  XII  spot.  Carriages,  dogcarts, 
traps,  motors,  bicycles,  rickshas,  wheelbarrows,  and 
even  sedan  chairs  come  pouring  down  the  Bund  and 
up  the  "  Roads/'  or  streets  with  geographical  names — 
Nanking  Road,  Pekin  Road — off  across  the  creek 
called  Yangkingpang,  into  the  French  Settlement, 
dubbed  by  the  Chinese  "  France,"  or,  in  the  other  di- 
rection, across  the  Garden  Bridge  by  the  Astor  House, 
up  Broadway  or  Seward  Road  and  through  the  Ameri- 
can Settlement,  whose  native  name  is  Honkew,  or 
"  Rainbow  Mouth."  The  river  is  crowded  with  craft- 
junks,  lorches,  sampans,  big  P.  and  O.  boats  and 
"  French  Mail,"  foreign-rigged  schooners,  tugs  and 


4  A  FALSE  GENERALISATION 

men-of-war.  What  a  medley !  The  sight  is  enough  to 
make  the  Chinese  countryman  "  turn  up  his  pigtail/' 
which  is  their  equivalent  for  our  "kicking  the  bucket" ; 
or  to  astonish  even  a  nil  admirari  Englishman.  In- 
stead of  "  civilising  "  the  native,  it  only  seems  to  con- 
firm his  opinion  that  these  barbarians  who  hitch  up  the 
lightning  and  build  houses  so  high  are  indeed  veritable 
devils.  You  might  as  well  try  to  sink  one  of  the  Amer- 
ican gunboats  in  the  Hwangpu  with  a  pop-gun  as 
to  attempt  to  eliminate  superstition  or  idolatry  with 
what  we  call  "  Western  learning "  or  "  Civiliza- 
tion." 

Many  superficial  globe-trotters  have  based  general- 
isations on  Shanghai.  This  is  a  gross  blunder,  for  the 
port,  while  in  China,  is  not  China.  The  people  of  this 
Empire  are  judiciously  slow  to  accept  a  new  and  up- 
start civilization  for  their  own,  which  has,  until  these 
high-nosed  Europeans  came,  withstood  the  tests  of 
chiliads;  but,  with  twentieth-century  conditions,  some 
innovations  have  been  inevitable,  and  the  adoption 
of  these  in  China  to-day  represents  tragedy  and 
comedy  ludicrously  mixed.  Shanghai  is  a  hard  field 
for  missionary  work,  but,  like  every  other  enterprise, 
that  activity  centres  here.  The  Presbyterian  Press, 
which  turned  out  over  eighty  million  pages  of  lit- 
erature this  year,  and  employs  two  hundred  and  fifty 
Chinese,  is  perhaps  the  largest  printing  establishment 
in  Asia.  Other  missions  support  similar  works;  and 
the  colleges  and  schools  attached  to  the  respective 
churches  are  largely  patronized  by  influential  and 
wealthy  natives  who  now  see  the  immense  advan- 
tage derived  from  these  institutions.  By  far  the 
greatest  number  of  men  now  in  Government  employ 
demanding  some  knowledge  of  English  have  come 
from  mission  schools.  The  Society  for  the  Diffusion 


TI1K  AUTHOR'S  C1IIXKSK  VISITING  CARD.     His  CELESTIAL  XAME  is  C.KII.OII. 

ON    THE   REVERSE  SIDE  OF  THE  CARD  ARE   CHINESE  CHARACTERS   SAYING  — 

"THE   (IREAT  AMERICAN    TRAVELING   MAN    WITH   A  PASSPORT." 


EIGHTY  MILLIONS  OF  MEN  5 

of  Christian  and  General  Knowledge  among  the  Chi- 
nese, with  an  excellent  staff  of  English  translators,  is 
a  powerful  agency  for  enlightenment  among  these  peo- 
ple. But  best  of  all  are  the  churches  themselves,  scat- 
tered over  the  large areaof  Shanghai  Settlement,  which, 
like  the  electric  lights,  illuminate  the  dense  darkness. 
All  honour  to  the  Southern  Methodist  Church  for  the 
splendid  college  in  Honkew  and  to  the  Episcopal 
Church  for  St.  John's  College!  I  was  gladdened  by 
my  visit  to  Shanghai,  but  Shanghai  is  only  an  infin- 
itesimal part  of  this  great  Empire.  Look  Westward 
along  the  great  journey  I  am  about  to  make — look  at 
the  men :  eighty  millions  of  them ! 

Let  this  stupendous  statement  sink  well  into  your 
mind.  Sophocles  said,  "  Many  things  are  wonderful, 
but  none  so  wonderful  as --man;"  or,  as  the  Chinese 
proverb  declares,  "  Ren  Shi  Wan  Wu  Chih  Ling," 
"  Man  is  the  Mind  of  Creation."  And  what  record 
has  this  mighty  nation  that  we  treat  so  contemptu- 
ously? The  Chinese  invented  the  art  of  printing  one 
thousand  years  before  the  birth  of  Caxton.  They 
possessed  libraries  before  we  had  learned  the  art  of 
expressing  ourselves  by  charcoal  hieroglyphics  on 
birch-bark.  They  made  it  possible  for  our  progenitors 
to  give  up  the  use  of  hollow  stone  plates  and  gourd 
dishes  by  placing  chinaware  on  the  market.  Silks! 
did  your  eyes  ever  feast  on  more  beautiful  fabrics  than 
those  now  seen  in  a  Chinese  silk  store  ?  But  you  ask, 
Are  the  Chinese  such  men  as  we  are?  It  is  a  simple 
question  to  answer  because  in  some  respects  they  are 
our  betters.  In  courtesy  they  are  Chesterfields,  we 
are  troglodytes;  as  artisans  their  endurance  and 
patience  are  as  remarkable  as  their  inability  to  invent 
new  machinery.  As  .farmers  they  raise  three  fairly 
good  crops  a  year,  but  they  do  it  with  the  aid  only  of  a 


6  WOMEN  IN  CHINA 

wooden-handed  plough  and  by  hand-planting  and 
hand-reaping.  A  reaper,  a  threshing-machine,  or  a 
cotton  gin  would  scare  them  off  the  field.  As  scholars 
they  are  giants  in  memory,  repeating  whole  volumes 
without  trouble,  but  when  we  come  to  applied  know- 
ledge or  to  practical  science,  they  are  mere  babes. 
Engineering,  for  example,  would  strike  them  not  as  a 
profession  but  as  "  labour,"  and  no  gentleman  in  China 
can  "  labour."  And  yet  look  at  the  Imperial  Canal, 
one  hundred  and  twenty  geographical  leagues  in 
length,  and  without  a  parallel  in  the  world's  history! 
And  the  Great  Wall  whose  cubic  content,  Hegel  com- 
putes, exceeds  the  mass  of  stone  used  in  all  the  build- 
ings in  England  and  Scotland! 

Yes,  eighty  millions  of  men,  not  to  enumerate  the 
fair  sex,  who  rule  as  many  of  them  as  they  do  of  us. 
Much  may  be  said  about  the  oppression  of  women,  and 
the  brutal  tyranny  by  which  they  are  ruled;  of 
the  license  with  which  they  may  be  sold  into  slavery 
and  misery;  of  the  persecution  of  young  wives  by 
mothers-in-law,  which  is  still  universal.  But  every- 
thing that  has  been  written  on  this  subject  can  scarcely 
make  plain  to  the  Occidental  mind  the  actual  facts  of 
the  case.  The  small  turreted  structures,  which  stand 
on  the  outskirts  of  many  a  city,  testify  to  the  disfavour 
with  which  girl  babies  are  received  at  birth,  and  the 
barbarity  which  sanctions  those  charnel  houses.  And 
yet  it  should  be  noted  that  when  women  gain  the 
mastery  they  generally  keep  it  and  exercise  their 
authority  with  an  iron  rule.  The  present  Empress 
Dowager  is  an  example.  For  forty  years  she  has 
dominated  the  Imperial  Clan,  not  only  the  Manchu 
but  the  Chinese,  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  the 
Empire.  She  is  the  one  great  force  at  the  present  time, 
and  one  of  the  most  masterful  women  on  the  face  of 


A  WORLD  OF  UNREALITIES  7 

the  earth.  Much  of  her  energy,  we  believe,  has  been 
misdirected  by  the  unwise  counsel  of  ignorant  men; 
nevertheless,  she  seems  to  be  profiting  by  her  bitter 
experience.  What  is  true  of  the  Imperial  Clan  is  true 
of  many  other  clans  throughout  the  Empire.  The 
Empress  Dowager  has  won  her  present  position.  She 
did  not  inherit  it.  And  she  maintains  it  by  her  own 
invincible  strength.  She  alone  is  the  absolute  ruler 
of  one- fourth  of  the  human  race.  Men  in  China  do  not 
despise  women  who  are  stronger  than  themselves. 
In  India  widows  burn  themselves,  if  allowed,  but  in 
China  men  erect  arches  to  women  who  do  not  marry 
twice. 

We  shall  not  fully  understand  these  multitudes  of 
men  unless  we  take  into  account  their  fictitious 
environment.  It  has  been  said  that  the  Chinese  are 
unimaginative,  materialistic,  and  matter-of-fact,  that 
they  live  in  a  narrow,  circumscribed  sphere.  But  the 
fact  is  the  Chinese  live  in  a  world  of  unrealities.  They 
worship  demons  whom  they  have  never  seen.  In- 
numerable religious  institutions  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
locating  devils  are  established  all  over  China.  The 
religious  devotee  spends  time  and  money  in  attempts  to 
rid  himself  of  the  influence  of  the  demon  world.  He 
is  haunted  by  spirits  who  follow  him  into  his  office,  in 
his  carriage  or  in  his  palanquin,  into  the  privacy  of 
his  home,  and  even  behind  the  curtains  of  his  un- 
feathered  bed.  There  are  good  spirits  also,  besides  the 
spirits  of  his  ancestors  whom  he  worships  more  often 
and  perhaps  more  sincerely  than  High  Heaven,  You 
cannot  call  a  Chinese  a  spiritual  man  nor  a  demonized 
man,  but  he  lives  in  constant  dread  of  the  spirits  of  the 
upper  and  nether  world.  The  country  which  possesses 
the  largest  coal  deposits  in  the  world  has  never  mined 
coal  for  fear  of  disturbing  the  Great  Dragon  who  is 


8  A  BONDAGE  OF  DEMONS 

supposed  to  govern  the  air  and  the  earth.  "  Shall  we 
drive  shafts  into  his  back/'  they  ask,  "  when  it  is 
sure  to  arouse  him  from  his  slumber,  and  the  serrated 
hills  around  us  will  be  immediately  transformed  in- 
to fierce  dragon  beasts?  No!  rather  let  the  coal  lie 
buried  for  ever.  We  will  burn  reeds  and  grass  and  not 
run  the  risk  of  bringing  dire  calamity  upon  us."  Here 
also  lie  vast  silver  and  gold  deposits,  and  they  lie  as 
the  Lord  first  placed  them;  no  man  dares  disturb 
them.  Thus  the  Chinese  literally  carry  out  the  warn- 
ing of  Ovid,  "  EfTodiuntur  opes  irritamenta  malorum." 

The  reverent  Chinese  hears  the  clap  of  thunder,  bows 
his  head  in  awe,  and  worships  it  as  god.  We  show  him 
that  we  have  less  fear  but  as  much  reverence  for  the 
lightning  when  we  enchain  it  to  our  wheels  or  com- 
mand it  to  carry  our  messages  under  sea  or  over  land. 
We  prove  to  him  that  his  country  may  become  the 
richest  country  in  the  world  if  he  will  but  unearth  its 
riches,  and  we  show  him  that  his  demon  and  spirit 
environment  is  a  but  a  fabrication  of  the  mind,  the  her- 
itage of  a  past  superstition.  Eighty  millions  of  men, 
and  only  one  hundred  thousand  of  them  are  freed  by 
the  Gospel  from  the  bondage  of  demons !  What  about 
the  rest? 

You  may  say,  "  Oh,  but  they  are  a  peculiar  lot." 
I  don't  see  it.  You  are  quite  mistaken  in  your  con- 
clusion in  regard  to  the  matter  of  looks.  Not  one  in 
ten  has  oblique  eyes.  They  walk  and  laugh  and  love 
and  learn  much  as  we  do.  As  to  the  colour — well, 
remember  that  beauty  is  relative.  Is  the  ashen,  con- 
sumptive look  of  the  European  as  beautiful  as  a  good 
healthy  yellow?  You  ask  where  they  live.  They 
live  in  the  country;  they  are  congregated  in  the 
cities;  they  dwell  upon  the  mountains  and  on  the 
plains.  They  are  living,  and  dying  too,  in  accessible 


CHARACTER  OF  THE  CHINESE          9 

places !  There  are  fanatics  among  them,  but  there  are 
fanatics  everywhere,  and  it  is  not  a  bad  sign.  They 
have  the  qualities  which,  if  rightly  used,  will  make 
them  eminently  Christian.  Here  is  thought  for 
Christian  people.  Think  of  their  cities,  distributing 
centres  for  millions,  without  a  ray  of  the  Gospel,  thou- 
sands of  great  towns  without  churches  or  schools  for 
girls,  and  an  Empire  without  colleges  for  women! 
And  no  native  novel  has  yet  been  written  setting  forth 
the  teaching  of  Jesus.  The  Chinese  are  men  of  strong 
passions.  They  are  not  flaccid  individuals.  They  are 
not  of  the  jelly-fish  type.  The  desire  for  money  is  as 
strong  in  them  as  in  any  other  people,  not  even  excep- 
ting the  Jews.  This  passion  for  money  makes  them 
industrious,  and  industry  is  the  heart  and  mainspring 
of  success.  There  is  not  a  rat  without  a  tail.  While 
they  "  squeeze,"  extort,  and  gamble  on  a  small  scale, 
they  do  not  seem  to  have  caught  the  fever  for  gam- 
bling in  stocks  and  cotton  futures.  The  coolie  who 
has  received  his  wages  in  copper  cash  resorts  to  the 
tea  shop  to  try  to  double  it  at  dice,  dominoes  or  wheels, 
but  he  probably  loses  all. 

Apart  from  the  awful  predisposition  for  opium,  the 
Celestial  has  no  craze  for  ardent  spirits.  He  drinks  a 
very  light  wine  made  of  rice,  but  he  takes  his  liquor 
temperately.  Outside  the  ports  opened  by  the  white 
man  there  is  little  whiskey.  There  is  little  public 
drunkenness  in  China.  But  opium  is  everywhere.  It 
thrusts  itself  on  the  nostrils  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  country.  Vast  sections  of  the  land  are 
devoted  to  growing  the  poppy,  which  exhausts  the 
strength  of  the  soil  more  rapidly  than  rice  or  wheat. 
On  the  steamers,  on  the  house-boats,  on  the  canals,  in 
the  great  business  houses,  everywhere  men  can  lie 
down  and  smoke  it.  It  is  not  eaten;  it  is  not  smoked 


io  A  NATION  OF  SCHOLARS 

on  the  streets.  It  is  a  national  mania,  everywhere 
acknowledged  to  be  bad,  but  consumed  by  millions  of 
enslaved  devotees.  It  is  next  to  impossible  for  men 
to  free  themselves  from  this  habit  when  once  it  becomes 
fixed,  for  the  native  is  essentially  a  man  of  pleasure. 
He  may  look  solemn,  but  he  is  not.  Every  town  and 
city  has  its  numerous  tea-houses  where  tea  is  brewed 
in  the  cup.  In  these  places  men  congregate  after  office 
hours  to  discuss  business,  to  hear  music,  or  to  pass  from 
lip  to  lip  the  latest  gossip  of  the  day. 

The  Chinaman  has  his  guilds.  Labour  and  capital 
are  as  completely  organized  in  the  Celestial  Empire  as 
in  any  other.  They  have  the  bankers'  guild,  which 
controls  the  money  market.  There  are  also  provincial 
guilds,  which  are  composed  of  men  from  the  same 
province.  These  guilds  are  found  in  every  city  in  the 
Empire,  and  are  so  powerful  that  the  officials  dare  not 
oppose  them.  That  the  Chinese  are  men  of  strong- 
passions  is  shown  by  their  love  of  literature.  This 
is  a  nation  of  scholars,  and  the  founders  of  litera- 
ture are  worshipped  as  gods.  The  final  authorities  on 
all  questions  are  the  national  classics.  The  writing 
of  poems  and  essays,  both  poetry  and  prose,  is  the 
quintessence  of  art.  The  theatre  has  its  place  next  to 
literature,  and  serves  to  hand  down  the  manners, 
customs,  and  history  of  antiquity  by  histrionic  repre- 
sentations. It  is  on  the  whole  a  respectable  place.  Go 
into  a  theatre  seating  two  thousand  people.  Many 
are  sipping  tea  from  little  cups  placed  on  tables  before 
them!  All  have  their  hats  on  except  the  women. 
Hear  the  continuous  sounds  of  laughter,  but  no  ap- 
plause, as  hour  after  hour  the  spectators  hang  on  the 
words  of  the  actors  illustrating  the  story  of  how  China 
defeated  the  hosts  of  enemies  arrayed  against  her  in 
the  early  days.  Here  you  have  ample  proof  of  the 


A   RICH   MAN'S   GRAVE   SITUATED   NEAR  THE  YANGTZE. 


._ 


IDOLS  NEAR   SHANGHAI. 


THE  GREAT   SHANGHAI  PAGODA. 


PATRIARCHAL  GOVERNMENT          n 

vivacity  of  the  Chinaman.  The  two  chief  events  in 
the  average  village  in  China  are  the  great  feast  or 
parade  of  the  gods  and  the  theatre  festival.  The 
acting  is  almost  entirely  done  by  men.  The  better 
qualities  of  the  Chinese  are  also  shown  by  their  efforts 
to  do  good.  There  were  great  charities  and  benevo- 
lent institutions  in  China  before  Columbus  discovered 
America!  Their  books,  written  a  thousand  years  be- 
fore Christ,  advocate  philanthropy.  Still  they  have 
never  learned  how  to  practise  true  benevolence.  But 
our  point  is  to  show  they  have  a  passion  for  doing  good ; 
albeit  this  is  perhaps  not  because  of  the  good  it  does 
to  the  other  man,  but  because  of  the  merit  which  is 
laid  up  thereby  for  the  doer.  The  Chinaman  is  a  fam- 
ily man,  which  speaks  well  for  him.  It  is  scarcely 
decent  for  a  man  to  live  out  a  bachelor's  life.  The 
family  is  the  unit  of  society,  and  not  the  individual. 
The  government  is  patriarchal.  The  head  of  the 
family  rules  the  various  members,  and  each  Chinaman 
is  an  emperor  in  his  own  domestic  circle,  unless  his 
wife  happens  to  be  the  stronger  of  the  two.  Eighty 
millions  of  hale,  energetic,  strong-minded  men  who  are 
walking  with  their  backs  to  the  future,  pushing  on  to 
the  past! 


*  p  *  * 


Towers   and  porticoes   shimmering  in  the   midst.—  Spring  in 
Nanking. 


Of  all  things  under  Heaven  only  Reason  can  subdue  men. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  MIDNIGHT  START — TRAVELLING  IN  NATIVE 
STYLE — CHINESE  FOOD — NANKING THE  EXAMI- 
NATION HALL CURIOUS  FEATURES  OF  THE 

EXAMINATION — MISSIONARY  WORK  IN  CHINA. 

\^^  Y  long  hegira  across  China  began 
^L   I      at  midnight.     Know,  all  men  by 
*  m     these  presents,  that  in  "  the  witch- 
,       M      ing  hour  of  night  when   grave- 
^  ^       yards   (and  people)   yawn,"  car- 
rying my  P.  T.,  I  left  Foochow 
Road  wharf  in  "  Top-Sea  "*  and 

Pens  and  Ink.  went  off  ^  &  wobbly  tender  to  the 

"  Great  Prosperity,"  lying  in  mid-channel  with  her 
anchor  down  in  eight  fathoms  of  water.  My  friends 
who  came  to  see  me  off  went  on  board  with  me.  This 
vessel  was  selected,  not  because  of  her  name,  but  be- 
cause her  owners  permit  foreigners  to  travel  native 
style.  Some  steamers  running  up  the  Yangtze  have  a 

*  Shanghai  in  the  Chinese  language  signifies  "  Top-Sea." 


TRAVELLING  IN  NATIVE  STYLE       13 

rule  against  admitting  any  but  Chinese  to  the  native 
accommodations.  It  was  to  see  China  and  the  Chinese 
that  I  was  taking  the  journey  and  living  on  native 
fare,  so  I  managed  to  secure  a  cabin  on  board,  designed 
especially  for  the  Chinese.  Shanghai  is  beautiful  at 
night,  with  the  many  coloured  lights  on  the  shore  and 
the  regulation  lamps  of  the  shipping  at  anchor  and  in 
motion.  The  moist  December  air  was  cold  and  chilly, 
and  we  hastily  boarded  the  triple  deck  river  steamer 
which  reminded  me  of  the  craft  which  ply  on  the  great 
American  Mississippi.  On  the  main  deck,  full  for- 
ward, the  Chinese  saloon  cabins  are  located,  and  to 
these  we  briskly  found  our  way  through  a  wide  corri- 
dor with  state-rooms  grouped  on  either  side.  I  stopped 
to  read  a  helpful  sign,  done  in  freehand  on  pasteboard, 
and  hung  against  the  wooden  wall  on  the  starboard 
side: 

PLEASE  READY 

5  Native  Cabin 
For  Fellows  Missinaris. 

This  settled  my  character.  It  was  plain  enough  that 
I  was  being  classed  by  the  comprador  as  a  missionary. 
On  board  were  many  Chinese,  most  of  them  going 
deck  class.  Among  the  many  passengers  were  several 
Christian  missionaries,  all  travelling  native  style  to 
save  the  money  of  their  society.  Economy  in  this 
way  aggregates  a  large  sum.  Take,  for  instance,  the 
fare  from  Shanghai  to  Hankow.  For  first-class  for- 
eign passengers  this  is  forty  dollars,  Mexican,  while 
the  first-class  native  fare  is  only  ten  dollars  and  forty 
cents.  The  value  of  the  Mexican  dollar  varies ;  at  the 
time  of  my  sojourn  in  Shanghai  it  was  worth  about 
forty  cents  United  States  money. 

The   missionary    party   was    composed   of   several 


14  THE  YANGTZE 

ladies  and  University  men.  The  latter  wore  tasselled 
pigtails,  and  their  wives  and  children  were  among  the 
party. 

The  quartermaster  had  struck  eight  bells,  midnight, 
before  I  turned  into  my  short  bunk,  which  contained 
no  bedding  except  my  own,  purchased  in  Shanghai  for 
the  long  journey  to  Burma.  When  the  weird  call  of 
the  lead  heaver  awoke  me,  I  found  that  we  had  swung 
out  of  the  fierce  Hwangpu  into  The  River,  as  the 
natives  term  the  Great  Yangtze.  A  wonderful  river 
this,  that  flows  midway  between  the  Great  Wall  and 
the  Chu  Kiang.  It  quietly  rises  in  the  perpetual 
snows  of  the  Thibetan  heights,  dashes  in  all  its  ancient 
glory  through  the  Gorges  of  Ichang,  and  sweeps 
majestically  onward  as  if  conscious  of  its  commercial 
importance  to  the  world.  It  is  the  sustaining  artery 
of  eight  provinces,  and  pours  the  water  of  half  a  con- 
tinent through  ever-broadening  channels  into  the  Yel- 
low Sea.  Coming  events,  and  the  Yangtze,  cast  their 
shadows  before  them,  for  Skipper  Everett  corroborates 
the  statement  that  the  sea  is  coloured  fifty  miles  out 
by  the  vast  volume  of  yellow  brought  by  the  mighty 
river  down  out  of  the  heart  of  the  massive  Empire 
of  Kwang  Su.  The  Yangtze  undoubtedly  ranks  first 
among  the  rivers  of  the  Old  World,  and  is  excelled 
only  by  the  Mississippi  and  the  Amazon  in  the  New. 

In  the  Admiralty  Directory,  referring  to  sailings  on 
the  Yangtze,  I  find  these  comforting  and  quieting 
statements  in  heavy  type: — "Caution;  Changes  in  the 
river.  Caution ;  Rise  and  fall  of  the  river.  Caution ; 
Tidal  streams  off  the  mouth  of  the  Yangtze.  Caution ; 
Calse  Channel.  Caution;  Prevailing  diseases.  Cau- 
tion; Kiang  Lung  Wreck  Light.  Caution;  Velocity 
of  the  current.  Caution;  Havoc  Rocks.  Caution; 
Boulder  Shoal.  Caution;  Ichang  Gorge.  Caution; 


EARLY  RICE  15 

First  Rapids.  Caution;  a  lifeboat  is  stationed  at  each 
dangerous  place  all  the  way  down  from  Chungking  to 
Ichang."  While  admitting  that  dangers  are  most  por- 
tentous on  a  distant  sight,  yet  it  was  for  these  and  other 
reasons  that  I  sent  my  baggage  to  Rangoon  by  steam- 
er and  kept  along  with  me  only  my  photographic  in- 
struments, personal  effects,  a  bamboo  box  containing 
books,  bedding,  sweaters,  and  P.  T.  I  found  after- 
wards to  my  inconvenience  that  I  had  sent  too  many 
of  my  effects  to  Rangoon  and  suffered  in  consequence. 
But  more  of  this  anon. 

"  Early  Rice  "  was  served  up  wet  at  eight-forty-five 
A.M.  in  the  partitioned-off  corridor  into  which  our 
cabins  opened.  The  room  was  not  encumbered  with 
artistic  cachet,  but  was  full  of  penumbra.  Indeed, 
the  room  was  chiefly  furnished  with  good  penumbra. 
By  the  lavish  use  of  it  the  steamship  company  must 
have  had  an  unlimited  supply  of  penumbra.  There 
were  penumbra  everywhere.  In  the  corners,  along  the 
sides,  and  even  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  there  were 
penumbra.  And  it  was  of  good  quality,  not  the  pale, 
thin  article  one  sometimes  finds  among  dark-skinned 
native  races.  This  penumbra  would  have  delighted  the 
heart  of  a  white  ant.  On  the  round  table  lay  a  white 
cloth.  Around  the  edge  were  the  rice  bowls  and  red 
chop-sticks,  and  in  the  middle  four  chinaware  vessels 
of  appetizers.  These  dishes  bore  frightful  dragon 
and  other  terrifying  decorations,  and  contained  first, 
superannuated  and  odoriferous  shrimps ;  second,  sickly 
bean  curd  floating  gently  on  a  summer  sea  of  native 
vinegar  and  mustard  seed  oil;  the  third  dish  boasted 
pickled  turnip  tops  and  other  refuse;  and  the  fourth, 
bean  curd  cheese  which  reminded  me  of  wild-cat's 
liver  soaked  in  sulphurated  hydrogen.  It  was  a 
repast  to  make  one  remember  that  "  Plures  crapula 


16          TWO  FRIENDLY  MANDARINS 

quam  gladius."  Before  we  "  pitched  into  "  this  Early 
Rice,  the  "  Gospel  Scatterers  "  sang  a  "  Grace,"  the 
heavy  bass  and  the  fine  tenor  of  the  men  blending 
harmoniously  with  the  cultured  voices  of  the  young 
ladies.  It  was  a  strange  interlude  in  the  midst  of  the 
heathen  surroundings.  They  sang  two  verses: — 

"How  good  is  the  Lord  we  adore, 

Our   faithful,   unchangeable   friend, 
Whose  love  is  as  great  as  His  power, 
And  knows  neither  measure  nor  end. 

Tis  Jesus,  the  First  and  the  Last, 
Whose  Spirit  shall  guide  us  safe  home, 

We  praise  Him  for  all  that  is  past, 
And  trust  Him  for  all  that  shall  come." 

Then  I  looked  at  them  closely  and  wondered  which 
of  them  would  be  the  first  to  be  massacred,  for  they 
were  en  route  to  sections  of  the  country  from  which 
came  rumours  of  disquiet  and  rebellion.  But  for  the 
friendship  of  the  two  Yangtze  Viceroys,  they  must 
have  left  their  bodies  unburied  on  the  soil  of  Western 
China  during  the  Boxers'  orgy  of  blood.  These  tran- 
quil mandarins  should  receive  some  recognition  and 
expression  of  appreciation  from  the  governments  to 
which  these  favoured  citizens  belong. 

When  we  had  finished  the  Early  Rice,  which  tried 
to  finish  us,  the  river  was  fully  ten  miles  wide.  Rising 
among  the  Pillars  of  Heaven,  far  off  on  the  edges  of 
that  mystical  and  awe-inspiring  country  of  Thibet, 
the  civilising  Yangtze  winds  around  three  thousand 
miles  through  this  land  of  the  blue  gown,  then  falls 
into  the  sea  by  the  little  village  of  Wusung.  My 
school-friend,  William  Steckel,  used  to  say  to  me  that 
running  water  was  the  most  beautiful  thing  in  nature, 
but  running  water  meant  to  him  some  fair  brook 
meandering  over  curiously  shaped  pebbles,  through  a 
lovely  meadow  near  Doylestown,  in  the  state  of 


'LAST-BORN'  17 

Pennsylvania,  and  not  this  monster,  muddy  stream. 
But  the  river  is  interesting  ever.  When  not  ten  nautical 
miles  from  Shanghai,  by  watching  the  Fair  Way  Buoy, 
I  noticed  that  notwithstanding  the  tremendous  mass  of 
opposing  water,  the  tide  was  in  a  prodigious  hurry  and 
ran  up  at  the  rate  of  three  jolly  knots  an  hour.  The 
scenery  is  alluvial. 

'  Great  Prosperity '  was  towing  a  black  hulk  larger 
than  herself.  It  was  roofed  over  with  corrugated  iron 
and  was  to  be  used  as  a  receiving  wharf  at  some  river 
port.  It  retarded  our  speed,  but  being  lashed  to  the 
port  side,  served  as  a  promenade  deck.  As  I  was  step- 
ping over  from  '  Great  Prosperity  '  to  '  Tanais '  (the 
hulk's  name)  with  a  nervous  member  of  the  famous 
Cambridge  Band,  his  pigtail  caught  in  the  stanchion 
and  came  off.  Lucky  for  him  it  was  that  it  had  not 
grown  upon  his  head;  but  he  had  just  returned  from 
England  and  his  new  self-nourished  pigtail  was  in  esse, 
and  the  one  which  came  off  was  second-hand  and  had 
been  grown  by  somebody  else.  The  Celestials  with 
the  real  article  hanging  down  their  backs,  leaned  over 
the  gunwale  and  retailed  divers  remarks  about  the 
de-tailed  foreigner. 

Two  ships  quickly  passed  us  on  their  way  to  the 
open  sea.  The  first  was  the  '  Great-Reaching-Through 
Everything,'  which  was  closely  followed  by  '  Flowing 
Virtue/  with  a  black  funnel. 

The  native  servants  were  delightful.  At  high 
noon  we  were  served  with  "Middle  Rice,"  a  more 
pretentious  meal  than  Early  Rice.  I  was  served  by 
"Last-Born"  and  "  Always-with-a-Fair-End."  My 
delight  on  Great  Prosperity  was  Last-Born  and  Always- 
with-a-Fair-End.  I  doted  on  them  and  derived  a  deal  of 
healthy  pleasure  from  the  study  of  them.  Last-Born 
was  twenty-two  years  old,  which  means  that  he  was 
B 


i8  AN  ORIGINAL  CELESTIAL 

really  twenty-one,  and  made  his  appearance  on  this 
planet  in  the  eleventh  moon.  He  waited  on  me  most 
.of  the  time,  and  I  had  occasion  to  wait  on  him.  At 
certain  seasons  he  displayed  a  constitutional  and 
frigid  antipathy  to  being  hustled.  He  was  a  nice, 
plump  Chinese  who  smiled  graciously  when,  with  the 
monster  chop-sticks  and  divers  motions,  I  indicated 
that  he  should  serve  me  with  tooth-picks.  Off  he 
would  go  and,  soon  returning,  present  me  with  several 
home-made  tooth-picks  five  inches  long  by  the  tape 
line  and  carved  from  the  bamboo  handle  of  a  local 
broom  used  by  various  coolies  for  a  lengthy  period. 
The  age  and  quality  of  the  handle  were  indicated  by 
the  antique  cast  on  the  outer  edge  of  the  wood. 

My  P.  T.  was  carrying  safely.  Nationally  the 
Chinaman  is  the  oldest  man  on  this  planet,  and 
my  two  "  boys  "  seemed  to  have  inherited  "  old  age." 
Last-Born  was  an  original  Celestial,  full  enough 
of  the  element  of  surprises  to  be  highly  enter- 
taining. After  Middle  Rice  in  he  rushed  with  a  hand 
wash  basin  of  boiling  hot  water  and  placed  it  on  a 
square  Chinese  chair.  Then  Always-with-a-Fair-End, 
to  whom  mere  locality  was  a  matter  of  indifference, 
cheerfully  came  up  and  dexterously  threw  the  table- 
cloth over  his  starboard  shoulder.  Dipping  a  dish  in 
the  basin,  he  wiped  it  with  the  table-cloth  until  one 
was  at  a  loss  to  conclude  which  was  the  cleanest,  the 
dish,  the  cloth,  or  the  Chinaman.  Always-with-a- 
Fair-End  was  a  slick-looking  youth,  with  sufficient  fresh 
grease  on  him  to  make  a  toilet-sized  cake  of  scented 
soap  if  mixed  with  the  proper  amount  of  lye — he 
carried  plenty  of  He.  But  then  he  carried  a  bull's-eye 
lantern  in  his  head.  He  always  smiled  with  his  face. 
I  noticed  that  the  Great  Yangtze  was  exactly  the 
colour  of  Always-with-a-Fair-End,  and  suggested  that 


A  CHINESE  SHERLOCK  HOLMES        19 

some  millions  of  his  ancestors  had  bathed  in  its  flowing 
waters,  and,  each  losing  a  mite  of  colour,  given  the 
monster  stream  its  peculiar  cast.  The  impregnable 
fortress,  Kiangyin  or  "  Shade-of-the-River,"  which  we 
passed  during  the  day,  contained  great  guns  which  a 
fellow-passenger  knowingly  said,  have  a  clean  sweep 
o"f  ten  miles  down  the  river.  If  they  could  have  com- 
manded the  floor  of  our  dining  hall  we  would  have  been 
thankful.  It  needed  a  clean  sweep. 

When  we  had  an  opportunity  of  looking  about  our 
cabins  we  found  various  small  things  stowed  away  for 
safe  keeping,  and  with  a  view  to  escape  the  very  keen 
eye  of  the  customs  official.  The  Chinaman  will  trust 
the  foreigner.  He  will  also,  by  what  he  considers 
legitimate  means,  take  a  share  of  everything  for  him- 
self; but  while  there  is  much  petty  pilfering  among 
the  dwellers  on  the  Hills  of  Tang,  there  are  also  remark- 
able means  of  detecting  criminals.  Note  the  follow- 
ing:— Outside  the  walls  of  a  certain  small  city  was  a 
dealer  in  oil  cakes,  who  sold  his  wares  at  two  cents  each, 
for  Early  Rice.  He  would  place  his  tray  of  cakes  on  a 
stone  lion  in  front  of  the  public  building,  and,  as  the 
customers  paid  their  money,  he  would  put  it  by  the 
side  of  the  tit-bits  yet  unsold.  One  morning  he  had 
occasion  to  leave  his  tray  for  a  few  minutes ;  when  he 
returned,  the  "  cash  "  was  gone.  Unable  to  discover 
it,  he  rushed  excitedly  to  the  local  Mandarin,  calling 
loudly,  as  the  Chinese  do,  for  redress.  When  brought 
before  His  Honour  by  the  underlings  of  the  Yamen, 
he  stated  his  case.  The  cash  was  all  gone,  and  there 
being  no  trace  of  the  thief,  the  judge,  who  was  no 
novice,  directed  also  in  a  loud  voice,  that  the  stone 
lion  on  which  the  tray  had  rested  should  be  brought 
into  his  presence  and  bambooed,  as  on  it  alone  could 
the  responsibility  rest.  The  proceedings  attracted  a 


20  THE  FOREIGNER'S  SLAVE 

large  crowd  of  loafers  about  the  Yamen  court.  When 
the  punishment  had  been  inflicted,  the  doors  were  shut 
and  a  large  jar  of  water  placed  at  the  entrance  and  the 
crowd  were  compelled  to  retire  one  at  a  time,  each 
throwing  a  coin  into  the  jar.  A  smart  detective,  who 
had  been  detailed  for  the  business,  soon  discovered 
the  peculiar  oil  of  the  cake  vendor  rise  after  one  fellow 
had  thrown  in  his  cash.  Grabbing  him  by  the  pigtail, 
the  detective  said,  blandly,  "  Have  you  any  more? 
Disgorge !" 

My  P.  T.  is  ingood  shape  and  standing  thevoyagewell. 

My  humorous  friends,  Last-Born  and  Always-with- 
a-Fair-End,  became  more  attentive  as  the  voyage  drew 
to  an  end  and  the  tipping  time  approached.  They 
possessed  the  commercial  instinct  of  their  race,  and  I 
expressly  state  that  at  this  I  in  no  wise  scoff.  It  was 
after  noon  by  the  ship's  clock  when  we  dropped  anchor 
opposite  Nanking,  which  means  "Southern  Capital." 
The  shank  was  cast  none  too  soon,  for  Last-Born  and 
Always-with-a-Fair-End  were  suffering,  maybe  from 
uncertainty.  It  was  best  for  me  to  go;  for  as  Gautier 
says,  "  Human  eyes  cannot,  without  turning  aside, 
contemplate  the  sight  of  suffering  for  too  long  a  time. 
Goddesses  themselves  grow  weary  of  it,  and  the  three 
thousand  Oceanides  who  went  to  console  Prometheus 
on  his  Caucasian  cross  returned  therefrom  in  the 
evening."  Ere  I  departed  I  gave  them  silver  tablets. 
These  they  took,  and  (what  magic!)  they  were  cured 
in  an  instant!  We  were  gradually  transferred  from 
'  Great  Prosperity  '  to  a  Celestial  mudscow  and  paddled 
to  the  shore,  which  was  muddy,  and  which  we  reached 
by  means  of  a  slippery  plank.  Here  we  found  car- 
riages and  the  most  rickety  rickshas  I  ever  saw.  My 
kind  friend  Bowen  had  been  waiting  for  me  since  ten 
o'clock  the  night  before,  at  the  wharf  four  miles  from 


BABY  TOWERS  21 

his  residence.  Together  we  drove  into  the  city.  A 
strong  wall,  twenty  miles  or  more  in  circumference, 
encloses  the  city  proper,  which  leaves  vacant  a  space 
sufficient  to  cultivate  and  raise  food  for  the  inhabitants 
and  defenders  in  the  event  of  a  siege.  A  wide  maca- 
damized roadway  leads  from  the  landing-stage  through 
the  city  gate  and  past  the  vice-regal  Yamen,  a  distance 
of  about  ten  miles.  This  road,  the  evidence  of  prac- 
tical reform,  was  constructed  by  the  aggressive  Viceroy 
Chang  Chihtung,  the  author  of  "  China's  Only  Hope," 
whose  progressive  policy  had  earned  for  him  the 
sobriquet  of  "  the  foreigner's  slave." 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  there  is  just  one  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  building  in  China  at  the 
present  time,  and  that  is  located  in  the  city  of 
Nanking.  I  stopped  to  have  a  look  at  it — a  fine  new 
structure  not  yet  completed,  and  costing  two  thousand 
five  hundred  gold  dollars,  the  entire  amount  having 
been  donated  by  "  Black  Cat "  Cooper.  It  is  for  the 
students  of  Nanking  University;  and  any  business 
man,  looking  the  building  over  as  I  did,  and  knowing 
its  cost,  would  reach  the  conclusion  that  there  are 
clever  business  men  doing  missionary  work  in  China 
at  the  present  time.  Several  hundred  students  are 
in  Christian  schools  in  Nanking,  besides  the  great 
student  body  of  over  fifteen  thousand  who  come  up 
periodically  to  the  trying  Triennial  Examinations. 
I  have  found  in  all  the  Celestial  Empire  no  more  hearty 
and  serviceable  men  than  Lewis,  Lyon  and  Gailey, 
American  University  graduates  engaged  in  the  most 
sane  and  sensible  effort  of  enlightening  and  saving 
the  student  population  of  China. 

En  route  to  the  great  Examination  Hall  I  passed 
two  whitewashed  circular  Baby  Towers,  with  a  small 
house  somewhat  temple-like  in  appearance.  This  is 


22  THE  EXAMINATION  HALL 

the  first  structure  of  the  sort  I  have  met  with  in  China. 
By  the  front  door  hangs  a  perpendicular  sign  announ- 
cing that  the  services  of  the  keeper  are  absolutely  free. 
In  the  front  yard  stands  a  baby  tray,  in  which  the 
bodies  of  little  dead  children  are  placed  previous  to 
being  burned  and  the  remains  thrown  into  the  turreted 
towers.  Perhaps  not  here,  but  in  some  parts  of  the 
Empire,  living  girl-babies  are  flung  into  these  grue- 
some structures,  and,  I  am  told,  heart-rending  cries 
have  often  been  heard  issuing  from  these  horrible 
receptacles. 

Among  many  remarkable  sights  there  is  one 
marvel  in  Nanking,  in  every  respect  the  greatest, 
which,  although  I  omit  to  mention  fully  the  Ming 
Tombs,  must  be  referred  to — the  Examination  Hall. 
Facing  the  Confucian-Temple-Street  is  the  gate  to  this 
Great  Nanking  Examination  Hall,  which  is,  probably, 
more  largely  attended  than  any  other  in  the  Empire. 
There  is  but  one  gate,  by  which  all  must  enter  and 
leave.  In  case  of  death  during  the  examination,  the 
dead  body  is  passed  over  the  brick  wall.  The  Viceroy's 
narrow  seal  on  the  closed  doors  cannot  be  broken  save 
only  in  the  event  of  the  head  examiner  dying  while 
on  duty. 

The  students  are  very  superstitious  about  having 
a  dead  body  taken  through  the  gate  by  which  they 
expect  to  enter  their  career  of  honour.  While  passing 
in,  I  noticed  that  from  the  outer  gate  to  the  halls  the 
path  was  lined  off  with  several  rows  of  red  pale  fences. 
In  the  centre  of  the  enclosure  stands  a  high  tower  in 
which  is  a  large  drum — hence  its  name,  "  Drum 
Tower."  At  the  corners  are  four  other  towers, 
where  guards  keep  watch  night  and  day  during  the 
examination. 

The  view  from  the  Drum  Tower  gives  one  a  good 


mm 

MISSIONARY   READY  FOR  JOURNEY. 


NET-FISHING  ON  THE  YANGTZE. 

viii 


AGED  GRADUATES  23 

idea  of  the  general  plan  of  the  compound.  The  tiers 
of  cells  into  which  the  students  pass  for  the  real  work 
of  the  great  examination,  are  built  of  brick  in  single 
rows  and  roofed  in  with  tiles,  each  stall  measuring  in 
front  forty-four  inches  deep,  thirty-seven  inches  wide, 
and  five  feet  eight  inches  high.  In  the  rear  wall  of 
each  is  a  small  niche  where  the  occupant  places  his 
candle.  In  one  row  of  these  diminutive  study-rooms 
I  found  ninety-six  of  these,  and  in  another  row  more 
than  one  hundred.  The  passage  to  the  cells  is  narrow, 
and  the  distance  from  the  front  of  one  row  to  the  back 
wall  of  the  next  is  but  forty-six  inches.  From  a  win- 
dow of  the  Central  Tower  I  counted  a  series  of  rows 
containing  over  six  thousand  stalls.  There  must,  then, 
be  accommodation  here  for  at  least  fifteen  thousand 
students,  and  I  can  readily  believe  the  official  who  gave 
this  large  number  as  the  estimate.  It  sometimes 
happens  that  even  these  are  inadequate.  In  this  event 
and  to  meet  this  demand,  temporary  booths  are  erected 
in  the  passage  ways.  Beyond  the  Drum  Tower  there 
are  three  large  gates  over  each  of  which  is  an  inscrip- 
tion. The  one  over  the  right  gate  reads,  "  East 
Literary  Arena,"  and  the  one  over  the  left,  "  West 
Literary  Arena."  Above  the  middle  gate  we  read, 
"  When  the  hall  is  closed  the  air  is  clear,"  that  is,  if 
the  gates  are  locked,  double  dealing  is  impossible. 

Without  the  assistance  of  double  dealing  I  got 
my  P.  T. 

There  are  many  very  remarkable  features  connected 
with  these  celebrated  Examinations  or  Literary 
Competitions.  One  of  the  most  extraordinary  is  the" 
difference  in  the  ages  of  the  students.  I  was  told 
of  one  boy  who  took  his  middle,  or  M.A.,  degree 
at  eleven  years  of  age,  but  he  had  a  very  short  life. 
In  the  words  of  his  distinguished  descendant,  "  He 


24  TALE  OF  A  GLASS  EYE 

was  too  smart,  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty/'  Old 
men  of  seventy,  and  even  eighty  years  of  age,  who  have 
perchance  tried  many  years  and  failed,  still  come  up, 
hoping  to  gain  the  tablet  and  the  flag  that  their 
families  may  enjoy  the  exalted  honour.  The  coveted 
degree  is  sometimes  conferred  on  these  old  men  on 
account  of  their  age  and  perseverance. 

The  Chinese  are  remarkable  organizers,  and  possess 
a  genius  for  combination.  Every  student  knows 
where  his  stall  is  and  its  number  before  he  enters  the 
outer  gate.  His  food,  candle,  and  cooking  apparatus 
are  all  previously  prescribed  and  described  minutely 
in  a  book  issued  by  the  Government.  These  regula- 
tions are  being  gradually  modified.  In  former  years, 
every  student  was  required  to  burn  a  red  candle,  but 
at  the  last  examination  white  candles  were  allowed. 
The  sojourn  of  such  a  large  number  of  China's  best 
scholars  in  the  Provincial  city  does  not  lessen,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  rather  increases  the  superstition,  bigotry, 
and  fanaticism  of  the  people.  A  few  years  ago  an 
American  physician  unintentionally  precipitated  a 
small  riot  by  a  pure  act  of  intended  benevolence.  He 
removed  a  useless  eye  of  a  native  patient  and  replaced 
it  with  a  glass  one.  The  operation  was  complete,  but, 
unluckily,  the  patient  one  day  removed  his  glass  eye 
in  the  presence  of  some  Chinese  and  hastily  popped  it 
back  into  his  head  again.  The  crowd  was  aghast. 
They  had  now  received  genuine  ocular  demonstration 
that  the  unfortunate  surgeon  possessed  a  magic  power. 
Here  was  a  proof  that  the  stories  circulated  about 
missionaries  making  medicine  from  children's  eyes 
were  true.  Word  to  this  effect  soon  got  about  and  H 
mob  quickly  gathered  at  the  physician's  house  to  do 
what  other  mobs  in  China  have  done  and  will  do — 
wreck  the  missionary's  premises,  etc.  This  diversion, 


EXORCISING  AN  EVIL  SPIRIT          25 

however,  was  interrupted  by  the  Mandarin,  who  ex- 
plained in  a  placard  afterwards  put  up,  the  functions 
of  the  "  harmless,  necessary  "  glass  eye. 

The  Examinations  are  taken  very  seriously  by 
the  Chinese,  and  are  not  without  a  tragic  side. 
The  thought  of  China  is  Confucian,  but  the  temple 
just  beyond  the  Examination  Hall  is  the  centre 
of  a  gambling  and  drinking  district.  The  religion 
of  the  students  does  not  interfere  wfah  their  com- 
mitting suicide.  Some  take  opium,  others  hang 
themselves — but  this  method  is  not  popular — while 
others  cut  their  throats.  Failure  in  passing  the 
examinations  is  one  melancholy  cause  of  self- 
destruction;  but  mental  disorder,  occasioned  by  the 
severe  strain  and  constant  pressure  of  the  ordeal, 
drives  many  unfortunates  to  take  their  lives.  The 
examinations  always  occur,  too,  at  a  hot  and  un- 
healthful  season  of  the  year — the  eighth  moon — when 
the  human  system  has  become  enervated  by  the  sum- 
mer heat.  No  wonder,  then,  that  even  the  inured  and 
stoical  native  often  succumbs.  Dr.  Robert  Beebe,  6f 
the  Philander  Smith  Hospital  in  Nanking,  told  me  an 
interesting  story  of  a  young  man  who  had  cut  his 
throat  with  a  sharp  instrument,  and  of  the  peculiar 
means  that  were  employed  to  exorcise  the  evil  spirit 
that  was  supposed  to  instigate  the  act.  The  foreign 
doctor,  who  had  been  summoned,  found  the  patient 
lying  on  a  bed  in  front  of  which  was  a  square  table 
containing  vegetables  and  lighted  candles.  Under- 
neath were  two  live  roosters.  A  geomancer,  who  had 
also  been  called,  proceeded  to  drive  out  the  devil. 
Seizing  one  of  the  fowls  he  cut  its  throat  and  sprinkled 
the  blood  over  the  room.  He  accompanied  this  act 
with  numerous  grimaces,  hand-foldings,  genuflections 
and  incantations,  walking  frequently  over  to  the 


26          SUICIDES  AT  EXAMINATIONS 

bedside  to  see  whether  his  charms  were  effective.  The 
rooster  business  having  miserably  failed,  the  geomancer 
got  his  writing  materials  and  rubbed  some  ink  on  the 
slab.  Dipping  his  pencil  in  the  ink,  he  skilfully  wrote 
several  Chinese  characters  on  the  palm  of  his  own 
hand.  He  then  put  his  hand  in  front  of  the  man's 
insipid  face  and  tried  to  blow  them  off.  The  idea  was 
that  he  had  power  to  blow  the  spirit  and  the  influence 
of  the  characters  into  the  man's  breath  and  thus  evict 
the  devil.  Dr.  Beebe  held  the  severed  windpipe 
together  with  his  fingers,  which  enabled  the  man  to 
talk  coherently,  and  thus  found  out  the  cause  of  his 
rash  act.  The  unfortunate  fellow  was  perfectly  sane. 
Mr.  John  Williams,  the  Presbyterian  missionary  in 
Nanking,  while  passing  by  a  well  in  the  street,  just 
after  the  examinations,  saw  the  feet  of  a  man  sticking 
out  of  the  water.  The  day  before  a  student  had 
accidentally  let  fall  a  drop  of  ink  on  his  essay.  Seeing 
that  all  hope  of  success  was  blotted  out,  and  not 
having  time  to  repair  the  damage  or  re-write  the 
essay,  he  determined  to  plunge  head  foremost  into 
the  well  and  thus  end  his  disappointment  and 
his  life  together.  The  man  was  the  unhappy 
student. 

In  former  days,  I  was  informed,  it  was  the  custom 
for  one  of  the  officials  to  stand  on  the  small  bridge 
which  spans  the  central  gateway,  and  wave  a  black, 
oblong  flag.  Just  before  the  candidates  entered  the 
Examination  Hall,  he  would  call  out : — 

"  Yiu  en  pao  en  ; 
Yiu  cheu  pao  cheu." 

Then  the  big  drum  in  the  middle  watch  tower  would' 
beat.  The  students  knew  well  that  the  Master  of 
Ceremonies  was  calling  down  vengeance  on  the  man- 


A  FORMIDABLE  ORDEAL  27 

slayer,  the  unrighteous,  or  the  profane,  who  dared  to 
show  his  face  in  those  holy  precincts.  Silverfoil  in  the 
shape  of  ingots  was  burnt  to  hustle  the  avenging  spirits, 
and  a  terrific  yell  from  the  thousands  of  competitors 
would  be  the  response,  "  The  Avenger  is  here,  the 
Avenger  is  here." 

Morality  is  curiously  inwrought  into  the  educational 
system  of  China,  and  the  students  believed  that  some 
ferocious  spirit  would  at  this  time  enter  and  strike  the 
depraved  candidate  dead ;  and  many  succumbed  to  a 
superstitious  dread  and  died  on  the  spot.  For  obvious 
reasons,  this  test  has  been  discontinued  by  the  Govern- 
ment. 

The  examination  held  in  the  year  of  grace  one  thou- 
sand nine  hundred  and  two,  in  the  eighth  moon,  was 
by  the  special  grace  of  the  Emperor.  Ordinarily,  the 
number  of  those  who  receive  the  degree  is  one  hundred 
and  forty-five,  but,  this  being  a  special  examination, 
it  was  doubled,  and  in  addition  forty-nine  special 
degrees  of  honourable  mention  were  presented.  About 
one  in  every  hundred  candidates  succeeds.  The  odds 
against  him  have  been  tremendous,  and  the  physical 
and  mental  strain  have  been  terrible,  but  he  obtains 
a  reward  that,  to  the  Chinese  mind,  fully  compensates 
for  all  the  toil  and  patience  that  have  been  expended. 
He  receives  a  moderate  sum  called  the  "  cup  and 
platter  stipend,"  worth  about  four  Mexican  dollars, 
with  an  additional  small  fee  for  the  "  flag  and  tablet." 
The  latter  he  is  allowed  to  exhibit  at  his  home.  This 
is  usually  done  with  great  gusto — and  amid  the  ac- 
clamations of  his  numerous  friends  and  relatives. 
Passing  along  the  streets  of  a  Chinese  city,  one  some- 
times sees  on  a  front  door  large  strips  of  red  paper  on 
which  is  written  the  name  of  one  of  the  household,  and 
the  fact  that  he  has  successfully  passed  the  Triennial 


28       DISTRIBUTION  OF  LITERATURE 

Examination  at  his  Provincial  city.  He  is,  in 
fact,  even  more  honoured  than  the  captain  of  a 
triumphant  football  team  in  the  United  States  of 
America ! 

I  was  told  by  plump  Mr.  Plum,  who  has  just  passed 
his  examinations,  that  the  official  Proclaimer  has 
devised  a  means  of  announcing  the  successful  candidates 
to  the  world  before  the  great  doors  are  unsealed  and 
the  momentous  fact  verbally  made  known.  This 
inventive  genius  ties  the  names  of  the  victors,  fifty  at 
a  time,  to  the  legs  of  carrier  pigeons,  and  the  cat  is  out 
of  the  bag  before  the  students  have  left  the  hall. 

The  examinations  provide  the  missionaries  with  a 
rare  opportunity.  Although  they  begin  on  the  fifth 
day  of  the  eighth  moon,  the  literature  usually  presented 
to  the  students  is  not  distributed  until  the  night  of  the 
eleventh  day,  the  purpose  being  that  only  those  who 
pass  the  three  tests  should  have  the  reading  matter. 
The  students  usually  enter  their  cells  about  three  A.M., 
carrying  food  and  candles,  and  remain  in  for  two  whole 
days.  They  then  all  pass  out,  and  the  successful  ones 
enter  a  second  time  at  about  the  same  hour.  These 
remain  the  same  length  of  time  and  again  leave  the 
hall  for  a  brief  recess.  More  drop  out,  having  failed 
to  pass  the  second  examination.  The  winnowing 
process  was  continued  three  times  this  year,  and 
it  was  after  this  last  ordeal  that  the  missionaries, 
between  eleven  P.M.  and  three-thirty  A.M.,  made  the 
distribution  to  those  who  underwent  the  latter  test. 
Fifteen  thousand  packets  of  literature  were  distributed 
that  night  to  as  many  students,  all  of  whom  had  taken 
the  third  examination.  Each  packet  was  composed 
of  four  books,  generally  Corinthians  I.,  the  Gospel  of 
Mark  or  Luke,  with  two  books  on  easy  science,  both 
distinctly  Christian. 


AN  EXAMINATION  DISPENSARY       29 

After  making  enquiry  among  the  students,  I  found 
that  these  books  were  read  by  more  than  the  one  person 
to  whom  they  were  given.  On  former  occasions  many 
were  thrown  away,  but  a  great  change  has  taken  place, 
and  this  year  every  book  was  gratefully  received. 
There  have  been  cases  where  books  distributed  in  this 
way  were  the  means  of  the  conversion  of  small  villages 
or  market  towns,  and  the  eventual  establishment  of 
churches.  Now,  I  estimate  that  these  sixty  thousand 
volumes  during  the  next  ten  years  will  be  read  by  at 
least  three  hundred  thousand  people,  which  seems  to 
me  a  reasonable  calculation.  The  distribution  of  books 
is  not  a  novelty  in  China.  For  a  thousand  years  at 
least  certain  meritorious  literature  has  been  scattered 
among  the  people  by  Chinese  philanthropists  who  wish 
to  ventilate  their  views;  and  the  missionaries,  by  dis- 
tributing good  books  at  the  examination,  are  simply 
following  a  custom  that  has  been  in  vogue  for  centuries. 

I  must  mention  one  other  examination  curiosity. 
Inside  the  Hall  is  a  dispensary  where  students 
taken  ill  may  apply  for  a  concoction.  This  year,  the 
examinations  took  place  when  a  cholera  epidemic  was 
raging,  and  the  Government  supplied  each  student, 
free  of  charge,  with  a  vial  of  medicine  obtained  at  a 
foreign  hospital,  with  the  stipulation  that,  on  the  first 
indication  of  the  disease,  it  would  be  taken  without 
delay.  Not  to  be  outdone  by  the  watchful  foreigner, 
a  wealthy  Chinese  philanthropist  in  the  city  prepared 
the  following  prescription  for  the  cure  of  the  disease. 
His  medicine  was  also  distributed  gratuitously  during 
the  epidemic.  Notice:  there  is  no  intoxicant  in  this 
medicine.  The  man  in  China  who  discovered  the 
process  of  manufacturing  wine  from  rice  was  banished 
the  Empire  forty  centuries  ago.  The  following  are 
the  ingredients : — 


30         A  TERRIFYING  PRESCRIPTION 

Rhinoceros  excrement 2  tsien 

Baroos  camphor  4 

Alum  5 

Nitrate  of  Potash il/2  " 

Gold  leaf  100  leaves 

Urine  sediment  8  tsien 

Indigo  refuse  5 

Ephedra  vulgaris  4 

Borax  3 

Lamp  black I     oz. 

Red  sulphide  of  arsenic i 

Toad  spittle  cakes il/2  " 

Soap  tree  pods 3 

Cinnabar  2 

Pearls  3  tsien 

Musk  3     " 

Mix  and  make  into  a  fine  powder. 

Dose:  One  fen  in  water;  if  the  case  is  severe,  a 
double  dose  is  to  be  taken.  The  Chinese  ounce,  which 
is  heavier  than  ours,  is  divided  into  ten  parts  called 
tsien,  and  ten  fen  make  one  tsien.  The  doctor  sent  me 
a  diminutive  China  bottle  with  a  tightly  rolled  paper 
stopper,  resembling  a  section  of  a  fire-cracker.  It 
contains  the  Cholera  Mixture.  I  shall  keep  it  with  me 
on  the  outside,  and  perhaps  present  it  to  some  bacterio- 
logical congress  as  my  contribution  to  medical  science. 

I  remember  on  one  occasion  while  walking  along 
one  of  the  principal  streets  in  the  Southern  Capital,  I 
passed  several  doorless  kitchens,  and  then  came  upon 
two  criminals  locked  together  with  a  heavy  wooden 
collar  round  their  necks.  Thin  paper,  bearing  inscrip- 
tions and  giving  an  account  of  the  crime  for  which  they 
were  being  punished,  and  their  names,  was  pasted  on 
the  collar.  Several  folds  of  brown  paper  were  used  to 
shade  their  eyes  from  the  sunlight,  and  their  faces  from 
shame  in  the  presence  of  a  staring  mob.  This  clever 
devise  was  fastened  over  the  forehead  by  a  dexterous 
twist  of  the  pigtail.  One  of  these  young  men  had  been 
a  student  at  the  Disciples'  School;  but  because  of  a 


MORALITY  EAST  AND  WEST  31 

defect  in  his  moral  character,  which  he  was  unwilling 
to  remedy,  he  was  dismissed  from  the  institution.  Now, 
the  Chinaman  yields  to  the  spirit  of  revenge,  but  seldom 
to  the  spirit  of  vengeance.  The  dismissal  rankled  in 
the  young  man's  mind,  and  he  determined  not  to  trust 
the  carrying-out  of  his  plan  to  one  of  the  spirits  hauled 
up  over  the  city  wall  in  baskets,  but  to  take  matters 
into  his  own  hands.  He  stole  the  school  telescope, 
and  thus  got  his  revenge  on  the  institution  by  being 
publicly  cangued.  In  this  action  of  the  poor  ignorant 
pigtail  and  that  of  the  learned  German  officers,  who 
not  only  stole  an  individual  sky  spy-glass,  but  gathered 
in  all  the  valuable  ancient  and  modern  astronomical 
instruments  of  the  Great  Royal  Observatory  in  Peking, 
it  is  difficult  to  discover  wherein  the  moral  differentia- 
tion lies.  Of  course,  we  know  that  "  East  is  East  and 
West  is  West/'  but  is  there  a  different  code  of  morals 
for  Europe  and  Asia,  or  is  practical  morality  to  be 
proportioned  to  the  length  of  the  hair,  the  shape  of  the 
nose,  or  the  colour  of  the  skin  ?  A  gentleman  at  Kiu- 
kiang  said,  "  The  seizure  of  scientific  instruments  at  the 
capital  occurred  during  a  conflict  known  in  civilised 
annals  as  war."  To  this  my  answer  came  promptly 
that  the  poor  pigtail  who  stole  the  telescope  had  also 
declared  war  against  his  supposed  enemies,  the  school 
authorities. 

Are  the  Christian  Missions  in  Nanking  doing  any 
good?  In  this  Southern  Capital,  which  politically 
is  the  second  city  in  the  Empire,  four  missionary 
societies  are  at  work,  and  the  number  of  native  Chris- 
tians is  above  eight  hundred.  I  have  attended  a 
Sunday  afternoon  service  held  in  the  chapel  of  Nan- 
king University.  The  service  was  conducted  by  an 
educated  laymen,  and  when  he  asked  those  present 
who  were  professing  Christians  to  rise,  I  was  consider- 


32  WHAT  CHINA  NEEDS 

ably  surprised  to  see  at  least  three  hundred  and  fifty 
stand  up,  and  in  this  way  declare  their  faith  in  Jesus. 

Next  day  I  had  a  visit  from  a  prominent  official  who 
was  educated  in  an  American  University,  and  who  is  a 
vigorous  and  pronounced  Confucianist.  He  is  at  the 
same  time  a  determined  opponent  of  Christian  missions, 
and  stated  that  in  his  opinion  eighty  per  cent,  of  the 
Christians  were  not  genuine.  The  remaining  minority, 
he  said,  were  honest  and  of  good  intent.  Even  taking 
this  estimate  as  correct,  the  missionaries  in  Nanking 
still  have  remaining  one  hundred  and  sixty  real  con- 
verts, their  enemies  themselves  being  the  judges.  The 
same  Celestial  gentleman  told  me  that  the  officials  all 
consider  the  hospitals,  and  the  school  work  done  by 
the  missionaries,  good  and  satisfactory.  This  plainly 
shows  that  the  learned  Confucianist  is  no  exception 
to  the  less  favoured  of  his  race.  Anything  that  is  of 
commercial  and  material  advantage  to  China,  each 
alike  is  willing  to  have,  let  it  come  from  any  quarter. 
My  informant  stated  in  addition  that  missionary  work 
in  the  cities  is  not  objected  to,  but  in  the  small  villages 
and  country  districts  it  causes  trouble  to  the  Yamens. 
This  statement  led  to  my  making  further  inquiries, 
and  I  am  inclined  to  think  missionary  work  is  more 
promising  in  the  country  than  in  the  town.  Now,  I 
can  easily  imagine  an  official  saying  to  himself,  "  Who 
can  say  what  these  foreign  devils  are  doing?  Here  in 
town  they  are  well  within  my  reach,  but  off  in  the 
country  fifty,  sixty,  or  even  one  hundred  miles  away, 
who  can  say  what  they  are  up  to,  stealing  the  hearts 
of  my  people?  "  This  Celestial  gentleman  says  that 
what  China  needs  more  than  a  new  learning  is  a  new 
spirit,  and  he  suggests  that  if  twenty  thousand  youths 
— not  old  men  who  have  their  habits  of  mind  and  body 
formed — could  be  sent  to  the  United  States  and  then 


ANTI-FOREIGN  FEELING  33 

returned  to  China  with  a  new  spirit,  it  would  do 
his  native  land  incalculable  good.  I  found  out  that 
there  is  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  the  Mandarins  to 
show  the  missionaries  and  native  Christians  a  generous 
consideration  hitherto  unknown;  but  in  doing  this, 
they  are  often  misunderstood  by  the  ignorant  populace, 
who  misinterpret  the  kindly  motive.  I  have  always 
understood  that  the  masses  of  China  will  come  to  a 
just  conclusion  if  left  to  themselves,  and  that  the 
anti-foreign  feeling  has  been  generated  by  the  literati. 
What  he  called  "  anger  and  resentment  of  the  people  " 
is  the  harvest  of  seed  sown  by  the  Mandarins  them- 
selves. I  felt  sorely  tempted  to  ask  my  friend  how 
far  his  honourable  country  had  been  benefited  by  his 
pigtail  being  stowed  away  under  a  Yankee  headgear. 
Was  it  only  that  it  might  grow  with  a  still  more  un- 
bending stiffness? 

Just  before  parting,  I  noticed  a  smile  of  satisfaction 
rippling  over  his  kindly  yellow  face.  He  rubbed  his 
hands,  evidently  calling  to  mind  the  injunction  of  the 
Great  Sage,  the  Master,  to  "  deal  tenderly  with  the 
men  from  afar." 


Oh,  that  Heaven  would  always  beget  virtuous  men  and  that 
men  would  always  do  good! — Inscription  on  a  Temple. 


CHAPTER  III. 

NANKING  TO  HANKOW — '  GLORY  FACE  ' STALE 

WITTICISMS       REGARDING       MISSIONARIES ARE 

MISSIONS  A  SUCCESS  ? AMERICAN  GUEST-ROOMS 

A   VISIT   TO   THE   VICEROY,    TUAN    FANG. 

SIA  KWAN  is  a  suburb  of  the 
Southern  Capital,  lying  on  the 
river  side.  Here  I  stopped  at 
a  combination  store  and  inn 
at  the  rate  of  one  forty-cent 
dollar  a  night,  and  slept  on 
the  floor  upstairs.  There  was 
a  bed,  but  there  were  also 

Jinricksha.  .,      .     ,.        .  ,          T 

agile  indications  that  I  would 

feel  easier  wrapped  in  my  gimlet-proof  oilcloth  on  the 
floor.  It  is  not  surprising  that  one  should  dream  under 
these  circumstances.  The  night  vision  was  an  exag- 
geration of  a  story  I  heard  near  the  Baby  Towers.  I 
must  relate  the  true  tale.  During  the  Taiping  rebel- 
lion there  lived  at  Nanking  a  man  who,  occupying  an 
official  position,  had  to  do  with  the  purchase  of  arms 
and  ammunition  for  the  forces  defending  the  Manchu 
Dynasty.  He  purchased  wooden  arms  and  a  lot  of 
ammunition  absolutely  worthless,  and  pocketed  most 


TUAN  FANG,  ACTING,  VICEROY  OF  IIU   KUANG. 

xii 


f 

: 


rUNI  JJV 

X,'  •••^•' 

A  HEATHEN  CHINEE  35 

of  the  nimble  funds  allowed  for  the  purchase.  His 
treasonable  rascality  became  known  at  the  Court,  and 
high  officials  were  despatched  from  Peking  to  remove 
his  head  and  carve  him  up.  Being  a  man  of  great 
wealth,  he  sent  to  the  approaching  representatives  of 
the  Emperor  valuable  presents,  and  later  on  received 
these  functionaries  into  his  own  residence,  elegantly 
and  lavishly  entertained  them,  and  made  such  an 
equitable  division  of  his  wealth  that  the  would-be 
executioners  were  diverted  from  their  purpose.  But 
an  emperor's  edict  cannot  be  openly  trifled  with, 
so  a  very  shrewd  scheme  was  laid  and  hatched.  On  a 
certain  day,  the  executioners,  with  their  attendants, 
gathered  together  with  great  fuss.  The  streets  were 
lined  with  troops,  and  it  was  given  out  that  the  offender 
had  been  beheaded.  To  prove  the  fact,  the  defaulting 
warrior  was  carried  out  in  a  large  wooden  coffin,  and, 
with  befitting  ceremony,  removed  to  the  country, 
there  to  await  the  decision  of  the  geomancers  as  to  a 
propitious  site  for  the  burial.  The  man  is  still  living 
in  Nanking,  enjoying  the  funds  contributed  by  the 
mperor  for  the  purpose  of  bona  fide  cannon ! 
At  five  o'clock  A.M.  the  almond-eyed  landlord 
shed  up  the  stairs  and  shouted  out  that  the  ship  had 
come.  Hastily  rolling  up  our  bundles,  we  went  down 
the  slippery  river  bank  to  a  mudscow,  or  monster  sam- 
pan, flat-bottomed  and  square-nosed,  which  lay  ready 
to  take  us  off  to  the  steamer  "  Handsome  Investment." 
It  was  brilliant  moonlight,  almost  equal  to  that  of  the 
fifteenth  day  of  the  eighth  moon  centuries  ago,  when 
an  ancient  Emperor  decreed  that  in  (perpetual) 
memoriam  a  feast  should  be  held.  A  stout  Chinese 
slipped  the  mooring,  and  amidst  a  crowd  of  jabbering, 
gesticulating,  indifferently-smelling  Chinese,  we  gently 
floated  on  the  quiet  river  to  the  "  Handsome  Invest- 


36  '  GLORY  FACE  ' 

ment."  We  allowed  the  swarm  of  Chinese,  each  with 
his  bundles  of  generous  proportions,  to  scramble  on 
board  first,  which  they  all  did  without  blustering,  but 
with  startling  rapidity.  Then  we  got  on  with  our 
luggage  and  discovered  that  all  the  first-class  native 
cabins,  with  the  exception  of  our  own,  previously 
engaged,  were  occupied  by  a  wealthy  merchant,  his 
wives  and  domestics.  One  little  slave  girl  slept  in 
the  corridor  at  the  door  of  an  apartment  occupied  by 
her  mistress.  Each  foot  of  the  women  was  bound 
distressingly  tight,  into  a  compass  no  larger  than  a 
baby's  hand,  and  their  cheeks  and  the  centre  of  the 
lower  lips  were  daubed  with  red  paint. 

As  on  the  first  stage  of  the  journey,  we  zig-zagged 
up  the  river.  The  scenery  along  the  shore  was  mostly 
uninteresting,  but  we  were  told  that  if  the  day  had  been 
clear,  the  mountains  back  of  Kiukiang  would  have 
furnished  a  delightful  picture. 

After  passing  a  line  of  low  mountains  topped  with 
sand,  at  one-thirty  P.M.  on  the  eighteenth  day  of  the 
eleventh  moon,  "  Handsome  Investment "  dropped 
anchor  off  the  city  of  Nine  Rivers,  Kiukiang.  Here 
I  met  Glory  Face,  so  called  by  appreciative  Celes- 
tials, who  is  one  of  the  wealthiest  missionaries  in  the 
East.  Glory  Face  presented  to  the  China  Inland 
Mission  two  of  the  large  buildings  in  Woosung  Road, 
Shanghai.  He  also  provided  the  money  for  one  school 
building  now  used  for  the  education  of  the  children 
of  missionaries  at  Chefoo.  Glory  Face  is  a  constant 
and  liberal  supporter  of  various  evangelistic  agencies. 
He  lives  at  Nine  Rivers  in  his  own  house,  like  himself 
square,  genteel,  and  comfortable.  I  found  this  shrewd 
intelligent  business  man  full  of  enthusiasm  and  hope- 
ful anticipation.  Now,  I  can  easily  think  of  some 
foolish  traveller,  not  knowing  these  facts,  being  gratui- 


A  PECULIAR  RATE  OF  EXCHANGE   37 

tously  entertained  by  this  rich  but  self-sacrificing  gentle- 
man, and  then  writing  an  adverse  criticism.  A  certain 
literary  rascal,  whose  real  grievance  is  that  he  was  born 
too  late  to  discover  this  planet,  actually  did  so. 
Glory  Face,  as  the  Chinese  have  well  named  him,  for 
it  may  be  said  of  him,  as  of  Moses  in  the  ancient  story, 
"  his  face  shone,"  came  down  to  "  Handsome  Invest- 
ment "  to  say  farewell  to  a  friend  departing  up  the 
river.  Being  a  big,  commercial  man,  he  related  to  me 
the  following  business-like  story.  Mr.  Willow  is 
an  old  man  who  had  just  celebrated  his  eightieth 
birthday.  About  eleven  years  ago,  in  his  zeal  to 
spread  the  Gospel,  he  gave  up  his  own  house  to  be 
used  as  a  place  for  preaching.  He  also  paid  for  the 
support  of  a  native  helper,  and  so  very  eager  was  he 
for  the  salvation  of  souls  that  he  prayed  long  and 
earnestly  for  the  conversion  of  twenty  men.  When 
the  time  came  for  examining  candidates  for  baptism, 
the  native  helper  had  no  less  than  fifty-six  names  on 
his  list;  but  Glory  Face  urged  that,  as  this  was  the 
commencement  of  the  work  in  the  place,  they  should 
be  especially  careful  whom  they  received.  The  num- 
ber was  reduced  to  twenty-eight,  of  whom  only  four- 
teen were  found  to  be  sufficiently  instructed  to  receive 
the  rite.  When  this  was  mentioned  to  the  old  man, 
he  was  very  much  distressed,  because  he  had  prayed 
earnestly  that  twenty  might  be  gathered  in.  He 
asked  Glory  Face  if  he  could  not  agree  to  admit  six 
more  in  order  that  his  prayer  might  be  fully  answered. 
When  told  it  could  not  be  done,  Mr.  Willow  went  home 
•very  sad.  "  Next  morning  I  met  him,"  said  Glory 
Face,  "  and  he  was  quite  joyful,  so  I  asked  him  what 
had  wrought  the  change. 

He    explained    that    on    further    thought    he    had 
discovered  that  his  prayer  had  really  been  answered, 


38  STEREOTYPED  SLANDERS 

because  the  local  method  of  reckoning  makes  seven 
equal  to  ten,  and  so  fourteen  equals  twenty,  the  actual 
number  he  had  been  praying  for." 

It  is  the  case  in  China  that  when  speaking  of  one 
thousand  cash,  eight  hundred,  or  even  less,  is  the 
number  understood;  and  business  is  conducted  on 
this  basis.  This  reminds  one  of  the  antics  of  some 
people  enjoying  a  more  modern  civilisation;  for 
instance,  the  old  man  whose  clock  was  slightly  out  of 
order,  and  yet  by  it  he  managed  to  calculate  the  correct 
time  by  the  following  rule:  "  When  it  points  to  four 
it  strikes  eleven,  and  then  I  know  it  is  seven-twenty." 

It  happened  once  upon  a  time,  not  very  many  years 
ago,  that  a  certain  man  dressed  himself  as  a  missionary, 
travelled  overland  from  Shanghai  to  Bhamo,  Burma, 
sponging  on  the  missionaries  en  route,  and  then  bragged 
that  he  made  the  journey  for  less  than  twenty  pounds. 
After  accepting  the  hospitality  and  profiting  by  the 
thousand  acts  of  kindness  on  the  part  of  unsuspecting 
and  whole-souled  Christian  workers,  he  wrote  villifying 
his  entertainers  or  their  work.  It  reminds  me  of  the 
snake  story  in  ^Esop's  Fables.  This  same  individual 
made  statements  which  were  shrewdly  calculated 
to  mislead.  He  is  a  fair  example  of  a  slick 
literary  adventurer.  Here  is  a  sample  of  his  perform- 
ances. In  Hankow  he  stopped  with  the  representative 
of  a  certain  Bible  Society  who  was  also  acting  for 
three  other  societies.  Now,  the  tramp  book-maker, 
after  stopping  for  about  a  week  with  this  gentleman, 
afterwards  had  the  audacity  to  state  that  these  three 
societies  had  each  one  representative  of  its  own  in  the 
city,  making  three  in  all.  He  also  re-hashed  certain 
mouldy  stories  still  told  amidst  the  fumes  of  tobacco 
smoke  and  whiskey  by  foul-mouthed  retailers  of  any- 
thing that  has  a  tendency  to  besmirch  the  characters 


HANKOW  39 

of  noble,  self-sacrificing  missionaries.  It  is  still  some- 
what the  fashion  among  men  in  these  parts,  whose 
language  is  not  fit  for  ladies  and  children  to  hear,  to 
run  down  missionaries.  Archibald,  of  Hankow,  says : 
"  When  I  first  came  up  the  river  they  told  me  that 
there  was  a  Christian  washerman  here  who  was  a 
Deacon  of  a  missionary  society,  but  who  had  been 
found  wearing  the  clothes  of  his  customers  put  out  to 
wash.  (This  was  twenty-six  years  ago,  and  the  yarn 
is  still  told  to  travellers. )  I  consulted  with  Dr.  Blank 
and  we  invited  the  man  who  complained  to  me  that 
his  clothes  had  been  worn,  to  come  to  the  house,  and 
confront  the  culprit.  When  the  Deacon  was  brought 
in,  the  complainant  said,  '  Oh,  this  is  not  the  man.' 
'But  this/  we  said,  '  is  the  only  Christian  washer- 
man in  the  city.'  *  I  have  found  since/  added 
Archibald,  '  that  there  is  in  every  port  a  Chinese 
Deacon  washerman  who  wears  the  clothes  of  his 
patrons.' '  There  is  another  old  chestnut  about  the 
Chinese  bootmaker  who  uses  the  books  which  have 
been  given  him  by  the  missionaries  for  boot  soles. 
The  Chinese,  on  the  contrary,  regard  the  characters 
in  books  as  sacred,  and  would  not  use  them  for  such  a 
purpose.  You  see  little  receptacles  in  the  streets 
where  even  the  smallest  scraps  of  written  paper  are 
religiously  burnt.  For  many  years  the  paper  leavings 
of  the  machines  used  by  the  Bible  Society  in  Hankow 
would  be  taken  away  by  the  native  "  Respect  Written 
Paper  Society  "  and  carefully  incinerated.  They  are 
now  buried.  The  scribbling  tramp  was  a  small  critic. 
When  I  think  of  him  something  reminds  me  of  a  cipher 
with  the  rim  cut  off. 

Like  Boston,  Hankow  is  frequently  referred  to  as 
the  hub  of  the  universe.  It  is  six  hundred  miles 
distant  from  Shanghai,  the  mart  of  eight  provinces, 


40  THE  SUCCESS  OF  MISSIONS 

and  a  city  of  great  importance.  There  are  really  three 
cities,  all  forming  one  large  metropolis.  At  this  point 
the  Han  River  joins  the  Yangtze.  Hankow  has  a 
population  of  about  eight  hundred  thousand,  and  on 
the  same  side  of  the  river  (the  East),  but  just  across 
the  Han,  is  the  city  of  Hanyang;  while  opposite  to  it 
across  the  Yangtze  is  Wuchang,  the  capital  of  the  two 
Provinces  of  Hupeh  and  Hunan.  The  combined 
population  of  Greater  Hankow  is  perhaps  a  million 
and  a  half.  Hankow  is  the  city  of  merchants ;  Hany- 
ang, the  city  of  manufacturers;  and  Wuchang,  the 
city  of  mandarins.  Hankow  is  famous  as  a  business 
centre,  and  has  water  communication  with  ten  out  of 
the  eighteen  provinces.  From  this  point  you  are  in 
touch  with  nearly  every  important  spot  in  the  empire, 
and  it  was  in  former  years  the  great  postal  centre. 
The  Hankow  and  Peking  Railroad,  which  has  been  in 
process  of  construction  for  five  years,  now  runs  trains 
for  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  out  of  the  city.  The 
promoters  expect  to  connect  Peking  in  another  five 
years.  The  first  month  it  was  opened  the  receipts 
amounted  to  only  six  hundred  Mexican  dollars,  and 
the  last  month  (the  fifth)  they  realized  twenty-six 
thousand  dollars.  It  is  a  Belgian  concession,  financed 
with  French  money,  and  is  under  Russian  protection. 
They  insist  on  doing  everything  in  French  style;  the 
employees  do  not  remain  long  with  them. 

The  general  impression  is  that  the  railroad  will  not 
pay  in  the  end,  if  the  agreement  is  kept;  for  the 
Chinese  authorities  in  granting  the  concession  drove 
a  very  hard  bargain.  The  management  seems  to  lack 
good  sense.  As  a  sample — some  time  ago  they  sent 
out  a  list  of  tariff  rates,  and  the  first  item  referred  to 
four-wheeled  carriages.  The  fact  is,  there  are  few,  if 
any,  of  this  kind  of  vehicles  in  Central  China. 


THE  SACRED  TREE  OF  ICHANG. 

INSCRIPTIONS  ON  THE  SIGN   HOARDS  EQUIVALENT  TO 

"ASK,   AND   YE   SHALL    RECEIVE. " 


xiv 


CHINESE  FAVOURING  CHRISTIANITY  41 

Here  are  located  large  Government  iron  works  and 
blast  furnaces,  a  monster  cotton  mill,  a  mint,  and  other 
factories,  equipped  with  modern  machinery  and  pro- 
bably run  at  a  loss  to  the  state.  All  these  represent 
a  praiseworthy  effort  of  the  most  progressive  Viceroy, 
Chang  Chi-tung,  to  develop  the  resources  of  the  empire. 

In  these  three  cities  forming  Greater  Hankow 
there  are  represented  eleven  Protestant,  and  several 
Roman  Catholic  Missionary  Societies.  As  in  British 
New  Guinea,  so  here,  some  means  have  been  devised 
by  the  Protestants  for  dividing  the  field,  in  order  to 
prevent  the  overlapping  of  work.  They  wisely  follow 
the  principle  that  while  the  supply  of  heathen  holds 
out,  competition  for  the  same  converts  should  be 
avoided.  Seventy-one  Protestant  missionaries  have 
their  headquarters  here,  but  many  of  them  occupy 
most  of  their  time  in  making  long  and  laborious  jour- 
neys throughout  the  two  Provinces  of  Hunan  and 
Hupeh.  One  native  church  in  Hankow  has  a  regular 
Sunday  daylight  attendance  of  over  five  hundred 
Chinese,  and  the  regular  congregation  in  the  Baptist 
Chapel  in  Hanyang  is  about  six  hundred.  Around* 
this  centre  over  ten  thousand  Protestant  Christians 
are  to  be  found.  Mission  work  has  now  assumed 
a  very  interesting  phase.  The  Chinese  are  clamouring 
to  join  the  Christian  Church,  villages  and  clans  en  bloc. 
They  agree  to  provide  chapels,  schools,  and  the  salaries 

*  The  Wesleyan  Methodist  Missionary  Society  has  sixty-eight 
churches  and  preaching  stations  in  the  region  of  the  Three  Cen- 
tral Cities,  as  Wuchang,  Hankow  and  Hanyang  are  called. 

Between  Hankow  and  Kiukiang  the  Yangtze  is  divided  into 
six  stages,  roughly  of  thirty  miles  each.  At  the  end  of  each  stage 
there  is  a  large  city  or  town.  At  four  of  the  five  towns  the  Wes- 
leyans  are  working. 

In  Hankow  the  three  Wesleyan  chapels  record  large  congre- 
gations. The  Ch'iao  k'ou  Chapel  is  well  situated  for  reaching  the 
immense  boating  population,  and  also  the  market  gardeners  who 
live  just  outside  the  boundaries  of  the  town. 


42          THE  COST  OF  THE  MISSIONS 

of  preachers.  There  are  two  views  among  Christians 
as  to  what  should  be  done  under  the  circumstances. 
One  is  to  take  them  as  they  are,  admit  them  to  the 
Church,  and  then  teach  them.  The  other  is  to  decline 
to  receive  them  until  they  become  more  thoroughly 
instructed.  These  people  are  honest  country  folk, 
and  when  they  are  properly  taught  bid  fair  to  make 
good  Christians.  Ever  since  the  Boxer  movement 
there  has  been  this  decided  leaning  towards  the 
Christian  Church.  One  reason  that  people  want  to 
join  the  Church  is  that  they  will  then  belong  to  a 
society  with  some  backbone  in  it;  they  labour  under 
the  impression  that  the  Christian  Church  is  an  institu- 
tion of  this  kind.  The  individual  in  China  amounts  to 
little — he  is  simply  a  cog  in  a  wheel,  and  all  Chinese 
are  afraid  of  being  left  alone.  If  the  missionaries  take 
the  right  advantage  of  the  present  situation,  and  direct 
the  movement  in  the  proper  way,  Central  China  will  be 
evangelized  in  the  near  future.  To  paraphrase  Voltaire's 
dictum  about  his  own  countrymen,  "The  (Chinese) 
always  come  late  to  things,  but  they  do  come  at  last." 
Let  us  look  at  the  cost  of  missionary  work  in  China. 
At  present  there  are  about  three  thousand  Pro- 
testant missionaries  in  China;  there  are  also 
fifteen  thousand  paid  native  preachers,  Bible  women, 
and  other  helpers.  These  eighteen  thousand  mission- 
aries receive  about  three  million  five  hundred  thousand 
gold  dollars  per  annum.  Now,  after  making  careful 
enquiries,  and  questioning  men  who  calculate  upon  a 
conservative  mental  basis,  I  figure  out  that  each  one 
will  present  the  Gospel,  on  an  average,  to  two  hundred 
heathen  Chinese,  which  would  make  a  sum  total  of 
three  million,  six  hundred  thousand  natives  hearing  the 
Gospel  by  word  of  mouth  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  three.  This  would  be  less 


A  RESULT  OF  THE  BOXER  MOVEMENT  43 

than  one  gold  dollar  for  each  Chinese.  This,  of  course, 
does  not  include  the  gigantic  work  done  by  the  college, 
the  school,  and  the  hospital,  nor  the  civilising  influ- 
ence upon  those  whose  habits  of  mind  and  body  are 
modified  by  coming  into  contact  with  the  multitudes  of 
native  Christians.  These  have  received  a  fresh  impulse 
from  a  new  moral  and  spiritual  idea  imparted  to  them  by 
the  words  and  actions  of  the  missionaries  of  the  Cross. 

In  the  Empire  at  the  present  time,  there  are  to  be 
found  over  one  hundred  thousand  Protestant  native 
communicants,  together  with  five  hundred  thousand 
regular  and  earnest  enquirers  who  come  regularly  to 
learn  more  about  the  Man  of  Galilee.  To  be  accurate 
in  this  reckoning,  we  must  add  another  half  a  million 
of  irregular  and  casual  seekers  after  truth.  And  there 
is  still  another  item  not  to  be  forgotten;  probably  a 
full  million  more  who  attend  with  some  degree  of  regu- 
larity a  few  of  the  preaching  services.  Missionaries 
are  certainly  getting  something  done  in  China.  Every 
thoughtful  reader  will  ask  himself  the  question,  "  How 
many  of  the  vast  population  of  China  have  thus  far  not 
even  heard  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  ?  " 

The  Boxer  movement,  its  rise,  conflict  with  Chris- 
tianity and  eventual  collapse,  have  by  this  time  been 
discussed  by  the  natives  everywhere  in  China,  even 
to  the  utmost  limits  of  the  Empire.  These  events, 
emphasised  in  the  most  practical  way  by  an  increased 
taxation  for  indemnity,  have  probably  brought  some 
news  of  the  Gospel  to  at  least  three  hundred  millions 
of  the  population  of  China.  Who  shall  then  say 
that  the  large  number  of  missionaries  who  suffered  a 
bloody  martyrdom  at  the  hands  of  vicious  and  violent 
mobs  during  the  memorable  year  of  nineteen  hundred, 
will  not  by  their  death  accomplish  far  more  than  they 
could  possibly  have  done  otherwise? 


44  AMERICAN  GUEST-ROOMS 

An  admirable  institution  has  been  started  by  two 
young  Americans,  Ingle  and  Roots,  the  former  of  whom 
has  recently  been  made  a  bishop.  They  have  won 
the  hearts  of  the  Chinese  by  opening  a  guest-room  in 
connection  with  the  work  of  the  American  Episcopal 
Mission  in  Hankow.  They  have  found  this  a  more 
effective  way  of  preaching  the  gospel  than  the  ordinary 
street  chapel.  The  Chinese  visitor  is  treated  as  a 
guest  in  the  most  approved  native  fashion.  In  this 
room  the  missionaries  and  their  native  assistants 
come  into  close  contact  with  the  Chinese,  many  of 
whom  come  regularly  and  receive  constant  instruction. 
The  noise  and  confusion  of  the  street  chapel 
preaching  is  avoided.  At  first  the  visitors  generally 
come  out  of  mere  curiosity,  but  as  they  learn  more  and 
more,  a  personal  interest  is  awakened  and  many  be- 
come earnest  seekers  after  God.  Many  "  have  a 
knowledge  of  sin,"  as  Mr.  Wang,  one  of  the  assistants, 
said,  "  but  no  personal  feeling  of  its  burden.  When 
they  read  the  Ten  Commandments  they  consider  them- 
selves guiltless  of  having  transgressed  the  last  four, 
and  they  seem  very  pleased  with  this  contemplation. 
But  when  we  explain  the  Commandments  according 
to  the  rule  of  the  New  Testament — that  hate  means 
murder,  and  an  unclean  thought,  adultery — the  well- 
inclined  begin  to  see  themselves  in  a  different  light. 
We  try  at  first  simply  to  arouse  this  feeling  of  sin  in 
the  heathen,  and  we  have  found  that  the  poorer  visitors 
have  a  deeper  sense  of  sin  than  the  rich.  This,  how- 
ever, comes  from  the  fact  that  the  Chinese  consider 
poverty  the  result  of  transgression,  and  as  they  do 
not  possess  the  means  to  buy  expensive  paper  money 
or  win  merit  by  Buddhist  masses  for  '  Orphan  Souls 
and  Wild  Spirits/  who  have  none  to  care  for  them, 
their  sins  and  poverty  increase  more  and  more.  We 


A  SPECIAL  HONOUR  45 

often  have  sincere  enquirers  who  declare  that  they 
would  fear  to  break  the  Commandments  after  hearing 
about  the  sin-pardoning  doctrine,  because  this  would 
be  heaping  sin  upon  sin." 

The  guest-room  secures  regular  and  constant  teach- 
ing, and  preserves  at  the  same  time  the  etiquette  so 
dear  to  the  Chinese  heart.  It  also  stimulates  the 
assistants  to  greater  zeal 'and  activity  in  bringing  men 
under  the  influence  of  the  Gospel,  and  stirs  them  up  to 
keep  the  attendance  constant.  I  was  told  of  one 
man,  named  Len,  in  good  circumstances,  who  was 
converted  here,  and  is  now  conspicuous  for  his  belief 
in  Christ.  His  parents  are  bigoted  heathens,  and  his 
sons  firm  friends  of  the  literati  who  scorn  the  Christians. 
Notwithstanding  all  this,  Len  perseveres  in  his  belief, 
and,  like  the  single  juror  who  still  remained  firm  in  his 
convictions,  although  the  other  eleven  held  him  out  of 
the  window  and  threatened  to  let  him  drop,  may  in  time 
bring  his  opponents  to  see  the  truth  of  his  position. 

Greatness  was  thrust  upon  me  at  Hankow.  In  the 
middle  of  the  fourth  time  of  the  twentieth  sun  in 
the  eleventh  moon  of  the  Old  Tiger,  in  rickety  rickshas, 
we  started  to  call  on  the  Viceroy,  Tuan  Fang.  The 
"  we  "  consisted  of  three  individuals,  Montagu  Beau- 
champ,  a  representative  of  the  United  States  Consulate, 
and  myself.  The  Viceroy  of  Hukuang,  before  my 
arrival,  had  called  on  the  American  Consul  and  ar- 
ranged with  him  to  give  me  an  audience  at  two-thirty 
P.M.  of  this  sun.  This  special  interest  in  me  was 
probably  due  to  certain  telegraphic  instructions  re- 
ceived by  the  Viceroy  from  Peking.  At  any  rate,  he 
bestowed  a  special  honour  on  my  insignificant  self  by 
making  the  arrangements  before  he  was  asked  to  do 
so.  Upon  my  arrival  in  Hankow  it  was  pouring  with 
rain,  and  I  learned  that  divers  steamships  far  up  the 


46  THE  FOREIGNERS'  STREET 

Yangtze  were  laid  up — or  rather  stuck  up — on  mud 
and  sand  banks.  The  ship  going  up  at  noon,  this  sun, 
would  probably  be  the  only  one  for  ten  suns,  so 
through  my  honourable  Consul  I  made  request  to  see 
the  Viceroy  at  nine-thirty  this  A.M.,  which  request 
was  cheerfully  granted. 

Passing  the  American  Consulate,  we  swung  round 
the  corner  of  the  beautiful  Bund,  or  paved  foreshore. 
This  road,  or  street,  the  most  beautiful  in  China,  is 
restricted  to  foreigners,  and  even  the  wealthy  Chinese 
who  travel  in  elegant  equipages  are  prohibited  from 
riding  here.  The  sidewalk  is  still  more  select — a 
Chinese  is  not  permitted  to  put  his  foot  on  it.  But 
this  seems  reasonable.  There  are  so  many  of  them 
that  if  they  took  a  notion  to  have  a  promenade,  the 
walk  and  everything  else  would  be  appropriated,  for  if 
you  give  a  Chinese  an  inch  he  will  take  a  thousand  miles. 

The  coolies  pulled  our  rickshas  in  a  winding  course 
through  muddy  and  narrow  streets  or  lanes — alleys 
hung  with  long,  narrow  perpendicular  boards  on  which 
were  written,  or  rather  brushed,  signs,  strange  hiero- 
glyphics of  the  Celestials.  Shorter  and  wider  ones 
in  English  were  swung  horizontally.  We  had  to  cross 
the  river  in  a  boat,  for  His  Excellency  lives  on  the  other 
side.  How  we  managed  to  get  to  the  approach  leading 
down  the  miserable  stone  stairs  to  a  still  more  miser- 
able old  hulk,  without  killing  any  natives  or  upsetting 
any  of  the  wares  of  the  small  vendors  on  the  corners, 
this  deponent  sayeth  not. 

The  water,  which  is  low  at  this  time  of  the  year,  in 
the  summer  months  is  full  fifty  feet  higher.  Then 
the  poor  people,  now  living  in  low  squat  mat  huts  on 
the  river  bank,  will  be  driven  to  seek  other  and  more 
comfortable  quarters.  The  Consular  representative 
swore  liberally  and  told  me  "  that  there  are  as  many 


XV  i 


AN  ILLOGICAL  CONSUL  47 

different  sorts  of  missions  in  these  three  cities  as  there 
are  brands  of  cigarettes."  This  is  evidently  a  "  smart  " 
stock  saying  with  him,  for  it  has  the  effete  and  musty 
savour  and  flavour  of  the  shelves,  and  had  evidently 
been  on  hand  (or  rather  on  lip)  for  a  long  time.  He 
told  me  very  confidentially,  as  he  has  doubtless  often 
told  others,  that  even  he  cannot  fully  distinguish 
between  the  missionaries,  there  are  so  many  varieties, 
and  if  he  cannot  do  it,  how  dreadfully  muddled  the 
heathen  must  get!  I  thought  this  a  frightful  non 
sequitur,  but  held  my  peace. 

The  ferry  boat  was  on  the  opposite  side,  but  after 
we  had  waited  fully  fifteen  minutes,  it  puffed  into 
view.  A  fat  Chinaman  was  responsible  for  our  still 
further  delay,  because  his  lean  coolie  with  two  large 
boxes  away  up  on  top  of  the  stairs  seemed  to  be  deaf. 
Later,  he  got  his  hearing  and  brought  the  boxes  down, 
so  off  we  started  and  duly  arrived  at  Wuchang  behind 
time.  Ascending  to  the  street  level,  we  got  into 
rickshas  of  a  breed  similar  to  those  in  Hankow.  After 
entering  the  city  gate,  our  way  lay  along  a  narrow, 
muddy  business  street  at  the  far  end  of  which  was  the 
Governor's  Yamen,  with  the  Viceroy  in  residence. 
When  half-way  between  the  gate  and  the  Yamen,  a 
horseman  came  galloping  forward.  On  meeting  us, 
he  reined  up  and  asked  for  our  cards.  I  handed  him  a 
large  red  one  on  which  was  written  my  name  in  Chinese. 
With  this  he  cantered  off.  We  soon  reached  the 
outer  gate  of  the  Yamen,  where  a  few  policemen  were 
standing,  and  rode  through  this,  leaving  our  rickshas 
just  inside.  Large  "  Dragon  Gates "  were  swung 
open  and  in  we  went,  passing  by  a  detail  of  soldiers 
with  stacked  arms;  then  we  shook  hands  with  the 
secretaries  who  had  come  out  to  receive  us,  passed 
double  sentries  who*  presented  arms,  and  emerged  into 


48  MEETING  THE  VICEROY 

an  open  court.  During  this  time  I  engaged  in  conversa- 
tion with  Mr.  Saoke  Alfred  Sze,  M.A.,  o-f  Cornell, 
Private  Secretary  to  the  Viceroy  Tuan  Fang.  Mr. 
Sze  speaks  English  fluently,  and  is  a  fine  fellow  who 
seems  to  enjoy  the  happiest  recollections  of  his  student 
days  in  America. 

More  soldiers  presented  arms,  and  then  the  Viceroy ! 
He  had  come  out  to  extend  a  hearty  welcome  which 
he  accompanied  with  a  vigorous  handshake  in  a  truly 
American  fashion.  I  found  him  no  ordinary  man, 
probably  under  sixty  years  of  age,  medium  height, 
solidly  built,  and  wearing  foreign  gold-rimmed  spec- 
tacles. With  true  Western  politeness,  he  bade  me 
enter  the  audience  room  just  in  front.  This  I  did,  the 
Viceroy  following.  The  room  was  oblong,  and  mea- 
sured perhaps  twenty  by  thirty  feet.  Directly  oppo- 
site the  entrance,  were  the  two  seats  with  a  table 
between  them,  common  to  all  Chinese  houses  of  the 
better  class.  Four  large  box-shaped  lanterns  hung 
from  the  ceiling,  and  in  the  midst  one  Rochester  lamp. 
A  long  foreign  table  spread  with  a  white  cloth,  and 
furnished  with  knives,  forks  and  plates  and  equipped 
with  foreign  chairs,  stood  ready  set.  The  Viceroy 
passed  to  the  head  of  the  table  and  motioned  me  to 
take  the  seat  on  his  left,  which,  in  China,  is  the  seat 
of  honour.  After  we  were  seated,  four  dishes  of 
different  kinds  of  cakes,  two  varieties  of  fruit,  tea, 
cigars,  cigarettes  and  champagne  were  brought  in. 
The  programme  was  that  we  should  first  take  some 
champagne,  but  as  I  use  no  intoxicating  drinks  of 
any  kind,  I  politely  declined.  Out  of  courtesy,  that 
I  thought  highly  commendable,  no  one  drank.  Indi- 
cating to  the  Viceroy  that  I  desired  a  private  conver- 
sation, all  promptly  retired  except  Sze  and  myself,  and 
we  two  were  alone  with  the  man 'who  had  saved  the 


VICEROY  TUAN  FANG  49 

lives  of  many  foreigners  during  the  exciting  times  of 
the  Boxer  outbreak. 

This  enlightened  and  humane  viceroy  is  a  Manchu 
and  a  relative  of  Prince  Tuan,  the  notorious  anti- 
foreign  leader.  At  the  time  of  the  Boxer  troubles  he 
was  Governor  of  Shensi.  Only  the  Yellow  River 
separated  him  from  the  Boxers,  and  it  would  have 
been  natural  for  him  to  lend  this  movement  his  aid 
and  influence;  but  his  calmer  judgment  prevailed,  and 
he  steadfastly  refused  to  countenance  it.  He  re- 
ceived with  great  cordiality  the  missionaries  who 
fled  across  the  river  from  the  fanatical  fury  of  the 
Boxers,  and  besides  furnishing  them  with  food  and 
travelling  expenses,  gave  them  other  presents.  Such 
are  the  eccentricities  of  fortune,  it  so  happened  that 
while  he  was  protecting  foreigners  in  Shensi  his  resi- 
dence in  Peking  was  being  sacked  by  the  Allies,  and 
even  his  ancestral  tablets  were  stolen.  An  effort  on 
the  part  of  the  Allies  has  since  been  made  to  get  these 
tablets  back. 

It  would  be  beneficial  to  the  Chinese,  as  well  as  to 
ourselves,  if  all  the  officials  like  Tuan  Fang  and  others 
of  his  kind,  who  befriended  the  foreigners  in  their  ex- 
tremity against  the  common  consent  of  the  Chinese, 
were  publicly  recognised  and  honoured  in  some  way 
by  Europeans.  This  would  accomplish  far  more  good 
than  cutting  off  the  heads  of  delinquent  officials  who 
were  caught  red-handed.  Viceroy  Tuan  saved  the 
lives  of  scores  of  foreigners  directly  and  indirectly,  for 
his  beneficent  example  was  followed  by  the  officials 
in  the  adjoining  Province  of  Kansuh.  And  his  action 
seems  more  commendable  when  we  consider  the  fact 
that,  unlike  the  other  powerful  Viceroys  who  disre- 
garded the  fatal  edict  to  exterminate  the  foreigners, 
he  possessed  no  military  force  sufficient  to  defend  his 

D 


50          A  FRIEND  OF  MISSIONARIES 

position,  but  stood  alone.  And  it  seems  strange  to 
us  that,  a  few  months  after,  the  defeated  Empress 
Dowager  and  her  Court  took  refuge  in  the  very  Pro- 
vince whose  ruler  had  deliberately  disobeyed  the  Im- 
perial commands!  It  gives  better  promise  of  a 
friendly  attitude  towards  Europeans  to  know  that 
Tuan  Fang,  who  defied  the  Dowager,  protected  the 
defenceless  missionaries,  and  afterwards  administered 
to  the  wants  of  the  fugitive  Court,  is  now  promoted 
to  one  of  the  highest  posts  of  honour  and  responsibility 
in  the  Chinese  Empire.  Missionaries  will  always  re- 
member that  he  provided  a  means  of  safety  for  their 
persecuted  brethren  and  sisters  in  dire  distress;  and 
sent  them  away  in  peace  under  a  strong  escort  of 
troops  who  were  given  the  strictest  orders  to  guard 
and  defend  them  until  they  were  out  of  danger.  And 
the  soldiers  obeyed  their  master  and  did  their  duty, 
never  leaving  their  charges  until  they  met  the  native 
relief  party  of  Chang  Chih-tung,  sent  out  from  Han- 
kow to  succour  and  receive  them. 

Because  of  his  position  and  quality,  I  venture  to 
put  on  record  part  of  the  conversation  I  had  with  this 
shrewd  and  influential  Viceroy.  Said  he,  "I  asked  the 
missionaries,  both  of  the  Roman  Catholic  and  Prot- 
estant Churches,  about  the  literary  equipment  of  their 
Chinese  converts,  and  they  all  said  that  out  of  ten 
thousand  members  only  four  had  taken  the  first  lit- 
erary degree,  and  that  none  had  taken  the  second  de- 
gree. I  would  say  that  only  thirty  per  cent,  of  the 
Chinese  are  qualified  to  act  as  pastors.  Naturally,  I 
should  prefer  to  have  Chinese  missionaries,  if  they 
were  only  sufficiently  educated.  About  seventy  per 
cent,  of  the  foreign  missionaries  who  are  University 
graduates  are  doing  good  work,  and  are  in  every  re- 
spect good  men.  In  a  number  of  cases  Protestant  mis- 


MISSIONARIES  AND  TAXES  51 

sionaries  have  helped  to  remove  wrong  impressions. 
For  instance,  one  missionary  heard  that  some  of  his 
members  were  trying  to  evade  payment  of  taxes,  and 
he  promptly  reported  them  to  the  local  authorities." 
When  the  Viceroy  told  me  this  he  smiled  with  evident 
satisfaction  and  appreciation.  Taxes  lie  next  to  the 
heart  of  the  Chinese  Mandarin. 

"  Missionaries  should  be  properly  governed.  If  a 
missionary  breaks  the  law,  he  should  be  reported  to 
the  superior  or  to  the  Consul.  If,  after  an  impartial 
investigation  is  made,  it  be  discovered  that  no  great 
wrong  has  been  committed,  let  him  be  transferred  to 
another  part  of  the  country.  On  the  other  hand,  if 
he  be  found  guilty,  let  him  be  transported  to  the  land 
from  whence  he  came.  Chinese  officials  are  now 
partial  to  the  missionaries." 

"  Medical  missionaries  are  welcome,"  he  said,  with 
evident  satisfaction,  as  if  he  had  the  recollection  of 
having  been  healed  under  some  Christian  surgeon's 
hand;  then  adjusting  his  glasses  and  leaning  forward, 
:'  The  educational  work  of  the  missionaries  is  for  the 
most  part  commendable,  but  some  consider  education 
a  secondary  matter  and  religion  of  first  importance. 
Requiring  the  scholars  in  mission  schools  to  attend 
church  services  frightens  the  higher  classes  and  fore- 
stalls their  patronage." 

Just  at  this  point  the  Viceroy's  son  entered  and  was 
introduced.  He  speaks  a  little  English,  and  his  father 
expects  to  send  him  to  America  to  be  educated.  I 
asked  the  Viceroy  where  it  would  be  most  agreeable 
to  him  for  the  missionaries  to  work.  He  replied  that, 
at  the  present  time,  it  would  be  easier  to  protect  the 
missionaries  who  lived  in  the  cities.  And  he  preferred 
that  they  should  not  remain  in  the  country  districts 
where  there  are  no  troops.  Formerly  there  was 


52  VICEREGAL  COURTESIES 

trouble  between  the  Christians  and  the  non-Christians 
only;  now  the  Catholics  and  the  Protestants  are  fre- 
quently at  daggers'  points.  "  Confidentially,"  he  said, 
lowering  his  voice  as  if  he  had  some  great  secret  to 
impart  (it  was  well  done),  "  money  has  been  loaned 
by  missionaries  at  a  very  high  rate  of  interest,  and  I 
want  to  ask  whether  the  managers  of  missionary 
societies  know  this,  and  whether  it  is  according  to 
their  rules."  Then  he  heartily  said,  "  There  are  many 
good  men  among  the  American  missionaries,  and, 
should  more  be  sent  out,  let  them  have  a  good  educa- 
tion as  well  as  a  good  character;"  and  again  he  man- 
aged to  inform  me  in  a  very  polite  fashion  that  medical 
missionaries  and  others  who  would  get  the  people  to 
pay  their  taxes  are  always  welcome.  Looking  at  this 
even  from  a  worldly  point  of  view,  it  is  reasonable  that 
the  native  convert  should  be  taught  to  pay  the  taxes 
levied  by  his  Government.  It  is  surely  scriptural  that 
custom  should  be  paid  to  whom  custom  is  due.  The 
Saviour  himself  once  paid  a  tax  even  though  it  was 
unjustly  demanded.  Chinese  officials  judge  Chris- 
tianity by  the  acts  of  its  converts. 

Our  interview  lasted  more  than  an  hour.  After 
making  me  some  valuable  and  suitable  presents,  he 
promised  to  telegraph  orders  to  Ichang  that  all  cour- 
tesy and  needful  protection  should  be  accorded  to  me; 
and  after  attending  me  into  the  open  court,  wished 
me  a  prosperous  voyage.  Some  guns  were  fired  in 
my  honour,  and  bidding  the  Viceroy  good-bye,  I 
started  off  in  dignified  haste  to  catch  the  steamer  that 
was  to  carry  me  still  farther  up  the  great  Yangtze. 
Before  we  left  the  wharf  a  messenger  from  His  Excel- 
lency hastened  on  board  and  presented  me  with  the 
Viceroy's  card  as  a  final  expression  of  good-will  and 
esteem. 


',11  INC,  A  RICE  FIELD  WITH  A  WATER  BUFFALO. 


PLOUGHING  WITH  CHINESE  COOLIES  NEAR  ICHANG 


XATIVK  CRAVKYARD   TX   ICIIAXC 


CHIKK  YAMKX   OF  I(  ITAXC. 


Insects  do  not  bite  Busy  Men. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Native  Houseboat. 


THE   KING  RIVER FROM    HANKOW   TO   ICHANG 

RIOTS    AND    REBELLIONS    IN     CHINA CHRISTMAS 

NIGHT OLD    MOON  AND  THE  YANKEE  FLAG. 

'HE  "  Harmony  of  the  River," 
otherwise  known  as  the  three- 
decker  "Kiang  Wo,"  lay  at 
her  wharf  in  Hankow,  draw- 
ing five  feet  eight  inches  of 
water.  Her  skipper  draws 
whiskey.  She  is  a  twin-scre\v 
vessel  of  two  hundred  and 
seventy-five  feet  in  length, 

new,  well  fitted  for  the  upper  river  traffic.  There  are 
no  electric  bells  in  the  foreign  cabins,  and  even  the 
captain  has  to  rap  on  the  one-inch  partitions  for  the 
"  boy."  It  was  late  on  the  nineteenth  Sun  of  the 
eleventh  Moon  of  the  Old  Tiger,  that  is  otherwise 
known  as  the  twenty-sixth  year  of  Kwang  Su,  when 
we  slipped  our  moorings  and  swung  out  into  the  cur- 
rent. In  the  summer  the  water  flows  by  Hankow  at 
the  rate  of  six  knots  an  hour.  It  is  now  running  about 
two.  Thus  the  next  stage  of  my  long  journey  across 
the  Middle  Kingdom  was  begun.  The  scenery  along 
the  Yangtze  had  thus  far  been  monotonous;  but  the 


54         THE  GREAT  RIVER  HIGHWAY 

river  itself  is  wonderful.  It  is  the  single  means  of 
communication  between  the  Western  and  most  densely 
populated  portion  of  the  Empire,  and  the  Yellow  Sea ; 
and  it  is  the  only  highway  open  for  traffic  across  this 
ancient  country.  The  traveller  in  China  has  no  option 
but  to  follow  the  advice  of  Plautus : — 

Viam  qui  nescit,  qua  deveniat  ad  mare 
Eum  oportet  amnem  quaerere  comitem  sibi. 

While  there  are  roads  in  the  North  along  which  those 
strange,  two-wheeled,  springless  mule  carts  bump  and 
jar,  in  the  great  Yangtze  basin  there  are  no  wide  high- 
ways smooth  enough  for  even  these  vehicles,  but  only 
narrow  footpaths  instead.  The  Yangtze  is  an  un- 
polluted stream;  this,  I  think,  is  generally  true  of 
Chinese  rivers,  and  is  due  to  the  imperative  need  of 
all  kinds  of  refuse  for  the  fertilization  of  the  fields. 
The  Celestial  farmer  very  carefully  preserves  anything 
that  can  be  applied  to  enrich  the  soil,  so  that  barring 
the  sediment,  I  would  not  hesitate  to  drink  the  water 
taken  out  of  the  current  of  the  "  King  River/'  as  the 
Yangtze  is  called  above  Shasi.  The  second  night  we 
cast  anchor  in  dead  slack  water  opposite  the  open  port 
"  Mother-in-law,"  or  Yochow,  in  Hunan.  It  was  a 
dull  and  misty  night. 

On  the  previous  journey  down  the  Yangtze,  the 
Harmony  of  the  River  anchored  at  this  same  place, 
where  a  riot  of  a  very  unusual  kind  occurred.  The 
story,  as  related  by  the  skipper,  is  as  follows.  One 
of  the  cooks,  in  company  with  his  assistant,  took  a 
basket  of  oranges  and  went  ashore  to  exchange  them 
for  fresh  eggs.  He  was  rushed  by  a  company  of 
roughs,  who  upset  his  basket,  stole  his  oranges,  and 
chased  him  into  the  river.  Being  an  agile  Celestial, 
he  jumped  into  a  sampan  and  hastily  put  off  for  the 
Harmony  of  the  River,  leaving  the  unfortunate  assis- 


A  RIOT  IN  '  MOTHER-IN-LAW  '          55 

tant  in  the  hands  of  his  assailants.  While  clambering 
Up  the  side,  he  called  the  crew  to  arms.  This  crew 
is  composed  entirely  of  Cantonese,  who  are  usually 
very  quiet  and  well-behaved,  but  the  cook's  adventure 
roused  them,  and  with  capstan  bars,  winch  levers, 
furnace  pokers  and  other  firearms,  they  jumped  into 
sampans  and  started  off  to  wreak  vengeance.  On  the 
way  plans  for  an  attack  were  laid  and  a  vigorous  cam- 
paign outlined.  Eager  for  the  fray,  they  landed  at 
Mother-in-law  and  made  a  bee  line  for  the  Yamen, 
where  the  cook's  assistant,  who  had  been  brought  be- 
fore the  official,  was  being  tried.  The  angry  Cantonese, 
striking  right  and  left  with  their  ship  irons  as  they 
went  along,  knocked  in  the  door  and  descended  on 
the  Court.  The  magistrate  was  so  frightened  that 
he  shouted  to  the  prisoner,  "  You  are  acquitted," 
and  then  took  to  his  heels.  The  raid  so  far  had  been 
well-timed  and  successful,  but  the  doughty  Mandarin 
did  not  run  long  before  he  gave  two  toots  on  his  bugle 
and  called  his  soldiers  to  the  rescue.  A  free  fight, 
followed.  The  soldiers  drove  the  rescuers  back  to  the 
shore,  where,  some  in  sampans  and  some  swimming, 
they  reached  the  steamer.  Two  of  the  boat's  crew 
were  missing,  and  several  others  had  bayonet  gashes 
in  their  heads  and  were  laid  up  for  repairs.  From  the 
days  of  Pliny  to  the  present  time,  the  normal  state  of 
the  Chinese  Empire  has  been  one  of  peace.  At  times, 
however,  there  have  been  local  riots,  and  at  long  in- 
tervals widespread  rebellions  and  revolutions.  As  a 
sample  of  what  the  Chinaman  can  produce  in  the  line 
of  revolution,  look  at  the  terrible  Taiping  Rebellion. 
The  war-cry  of  that  movement  was,  "  Down  with  the 
idols !  "  Probably  ten  million  lives  were  sacrificed, 
directly  or  indirectly,  in  that  great  upheaval.  Had  it 
succeeded,  the  missionaries  now  going  up  the  Yangtze 


56  THE  BORDERS  OF  THIBET 

on  the  Harmony  of  the  River  would  probably  be 
wending  their  way  to  some  other  part  of  the  globe, 
because  the  Manchu  dynasty  would  have  been  over- 
thrown by  those  who  were  favourable  to  Christianity. 
Then  might  have  been  born  a  Christian  nation  of  four 
hundred  millions  of  people! 

So  recently  as  only  fifteen  or  twenty  years  ago,  the 
region  of  the  upper  Yangtze  had  but  few  visitors,  and 
even  now,  there  are  few  who  would  not  be  inclined  to 
say  that  except  the  missionaries,  travellers  are  not 
numerous.  Be  it  remembered  that  what  the  Consuls 
know  and  the  public  generally,  comes  for  the  most 
part  from  these  same  mission  workers.  In  the  Western 
Provinces  the  missionary  has  no  easy  life.  Callum, 
of  Song  Pan,  who  labours  on  the  Thibetan  border,  tells 
how,  one  winter  evening,  when  the  snow  lay  on  the 
ground,  a  wild-looking  messenger  came  in  great  haste 
to  ask  if  he  could  go  with  him  at  once  to  Chang  La, 
forty  li  north  of  Song  Pan,  to  see  a  sick  man.  He  con- 
sented and  they  issued  forth.  Passing  this  town  and 
going  beyond  the  last  garrison  on  the  borders  of 
Thibet,  they  saw,  in  a  lonely  place  by  the  riverside,  a 
mill  and  a  solitary  hut  into  which,  at  the  request  of  his 
guide,  the  missionary  entered.  In  a  room  he  found 
a  man  lying  on  a  bed  of  sheepskins  in  the  corner.  He 
proved  to  be  a  Thibetan  who  had  been  wounded.  After 
bidding  the  visitor  welcome  in  a  coarse  but  courteous 
way,  he  put  his  hand  under  his  back  and  brought  out 
a  large  bundle  of  what  appeared  to  be  sheep's  wool, 
saying  eagerly,  "  Here  it  is.  They  told  me  if  I  could 
keep  it  warm  you  could  put  it  on  again."  The  mis- 
sionary took  the  bundle  over  to  the  window,  opened 
it,  and  found  a  man's  hand  severed  at  the  wrist.  "  The 
hand  is  dead  and  can  never  be  put  on,"  the  Christian 
doctor  said.  The  deluded  man  seemed  heart-broken, 


MODERN  SOLOMONS  57 

and  in  a  pathetic  voice  repeated,  "  They  told  me  if  I 
could  keep  it  warm  you  could  put  it  on  again."  When 
asked  how  he  had  lost  his  hand  he  replied,  "  I  was 
travelling  with  some  silver  when  a  band  of  robbers 
attacked  me.  I  defended  myself  and  killed  three  of 
them."  He  professed  to  be  a  hunter  and  to  live  by 
his  gun,  and  he  spoke  the  truth,  for  he  was  without 
doubt  a  robber.  Callum  found  out  that,  in  a  vain 
attempt  to  carry  off  the  daughter  of  a  Thibetan  chief, 
he  had  lost  his  hand  in  a  free  fight  with  the  girl's 
relatives.  The  ministrations  of  the  kind  physician 
won  the  fierce  fellow's  heart,  and  afterwards  when  he 
recovered  minus  his  hand,  he  would  often  bring  phea- 
sants and  other  game  to  his  benefactor  as  a  testimonial 
of  his  gratitude.  An  old  chieftain  of  the  country  said, 
"  Thibetans  will  rob  till  they  are  forty,  and  after  that 
they  will  turn  the  prayer-wheel,  and  in  this  way  seek 
to  atone  for  past  misdeeds." 

I  watched  the  missionaries  on  board  closely,  and 
herein  report  that  I  did  not  find  any  of  them  drinking 
intoxicating  liquors,  nor  did  I  hear  them  swear.  On 
the  contrary,  I  enjoyed  their  elevating  society  and 
observed  their  refined  manners.  Several  times  on 
deck  I  saw  groups  of  Chinese  with  a  missionary  in 
their  midst  who  was  telling  them  earnestly  the  match- 
less story  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth;  and  the  Chinese 
listened  eagerly,  too. 

The  Harmony  of  the  River  had  not  only  mission- 
aries on  board,  but  merchants  and  Mandarins  also. 
Officialdom  is  interesting,  like  everything  else  in 
China,  and  these  representatives  are  slick,  well-fed, 
and  dressed  in  costly  apparel.  But  the  average  Man- 
darin is  no  fool.  Here  is  a  story  I  heard  of  how  a 
judge  got  even  with  the  Catholics.  A  native  called  on 

"  Father,"  and  presented  himself  as  a  candidate  for 


58  CHINESE  OFFICIALDOM 

church  membership.  After  being  properly  instructed 
and  installed  as  a  member,  he  had  some  financial  diffi- 
culty with  another  man  in  the  same  line  of  business. 
The  case  was  brought  into  Court,  upon  which  a  Father 
promptly  appeared  and  defended  his  convert,  insisting 
that  he  was  a  virtuous  man,  and  that  the  action  was 
purely  a  case  of  persecution.  So,  out  of  fear,  the  case 
was  dismissed.  But  the  magistrate  was  not  to  be  out- 
witted. Calling  the  persecutor  aside,  he  said  to  him, 
"  You  go  and  join  the  church  also,  and  bring  that 
fellow  before  me  for  a  similar  trial,  and  I  will  see  that 
you  get  your  rights."  This  was  done. 

It  is  said  that  the  Empress  Dowager  had  occasion 
to  decide  between  two  prominent  men,  neither  of 
whom  she  wished  to  displease,  as  one  had  a  long  purse 
and  the  other  a  troop  of  soldiers.  The  trouble  was 
about  a  division  of  some  valuable  property.  Her 
judgment  was  worthy  of  Solomon.  The  men  hap- 
pened to  be  brothers,  and  she  decided  that  the  younger 
should  divide  the  property  "into  two  parts  and  the 
elder  should  take  first  choice. 

About  forty  li  from  the  capital  of  Szechuen,  a  man 
slew  his  wife  and  nephew  and  cut  off  both  their  heads. 
Carrying  these  before  the  magistrate,  he  affirmed  that 
the  two  had  been  guilty  of  adultery.  To  test  the  truth 
of  the  statement,  the  magistrate  ordered  a  large  firkin 
of  water  to  be  placed  before  him,  and  put  in  the  two 
bloody  heads.  "If  they  turn  face  to  face,  it  proves 
them  guilty,"  said  he,  "  but  if  they  turn  back  to  back 
they  are  innocent."  The  heads  turned  back  to  back 
and  the  man  was  seized,  chained,  and  flung  into  a 
loathsome  prison  there  to  await  the  just  reward  for 
his  crime.  Perhaps  the  most  sweeping  condemnation, 
if  unconsciously  so,  of  Celestial  officialdom,  is  the 
verdict  of  a  missionary  critic  of  Chinese  characteristics, 


ROMAN   CATHOLIC   MISSION,   ICHANG. 


TEMPLE  OF  CONFUCIUS,  ICHANG. 

xix 


MANDARIN    CHANG   CHUIN   TENG   OF   SZECHUKX    PROVTXCI-: 
SIX    "IIKROKS"    AM)    A    DRl'M. 


BLUE  GOWNS  59 

who  says,  "  Although  Mandarinism  is  about  as  cor- 
rupt an  institution  as  can  be,  various  individual  Man- 
darins are  respectable  and  highly  respected  men." 

After  leaving  Mother-in-law  our  next  port  of  call 
was  Shasi.  It  has  been  said  that  the  tenth  riot  in  the 
Yangtze  valley  took  place  here.  The  attention  of 
every  traveller  is  directed  to  a  dyke  twenty-five  feet 
high,  and  protecting  the  back  country  which  is  some- 
what below  the  present  winter  level  of  the  river.  A 
part  of  the  dyke  is  built  in  three  tiers,  one  above  the 
other,  each  about  ten  feet  high.  When  the  riot  occur- 
red four  years  ago,  the  Consulates  and  steamship 
offices  were  destroyed,  but  strange  to  say,  the  mission- 
aries were  not  molested.  Here  at  Shasi,  the  whole 
crowd,  gathered  on  the  stone  passenger-stairs  to  meet 
the  boat,  were  dressed  in  blue  gowns;  no  such  azure 
display  had  I  witnessed  before  in  China. 

Shasi  has  one  interesting  convert.  Mr.  Stone  is 
a  Chinese  mason  of  considerable  influence  and  educa- 
tion, who  lives  at  Chin  Hsien,  "  The  Golden  County." 
One  day,  while  walking  along  the  streets  of  his  native 
city,  he  saw  a  scavenger  picking  up  scraps  of  paper, 
in  this  way  "  rescuing "  the  much-revered  Chinese 
characters  from  the  mud  of  the  street.  The  man, 
holding  a  book  in  his  hand,  came  running  to  Mr.  Stone 
and  said,  "  Please,  kind  sir,  read  this  for  me,  as  I  can- 
not do  it  myseif."  Mr.  Stone  glanced  at  the  cover  and 
saw  that  it  was  a  Christian  tract.  "  Ah,"  he  said, 
"  this  is  a  good  book  and  tells  about  the  Old  Testament 
and  New  Testament,  and  the  Holy  Scriptures.  Let 
me  have  it."  He  took  the  book  home,  read  it  care- 
fully, and  decided  that  he  must  know  more  of  this  new 
doctrine.  So  he  made  enquiries  and  learned  that  there 
were  foreigners  in  Shasi  who  preached  this  new  doc- 
trine. Then  he  went  to  Shasi,  five  miles  away,  and 


60  A  SCRIMMAGE  ON  BOARD 

asked  the  Swedish  missionaries  there  for  "  the  Old 
and  New  Testaments,  and  the  Holy  Scriptures.''  They 
tried  to  explain  to  him  that  the  two  Testaments  were 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  but  for  some  time  he  thought  they 
were  trying  to  keep  back  the  best  for  themselves. 
But  he  was  soon  convinced  and  converted.  Last 
Spring  he  was  baptized  and  is  now  engaged  as  a  book- 
seller and  evangelist,  although  he  is  an  old  man. 

A  Censor  here,  over  seventy  years  of  age,  holding  a 
high  literary  degree,  has  professed  conversion  to 
Christianity.  Being  tolerably  well  versed  in  modern 
learning,  he  is  able  to  remove  the  doubts  of  his 
numerous  Confucian  friends. 

Shasi  has  a  population  of  eighty  thousand,  and  is 
reported  to  be  a  bad  place.  Some  say  it  is  one  of  the 
worst  places  in  China,  but  I  am  always  doubtful  of 
such  statements.  So  far  as  I  could  see,  there  is  no 
more  concentrated  badness  in  Shasi  than  in  any  other 
city  in  China  of  equal  population.  It  may  possibly 
have  improved  of  late. 

We  left  Shasi  shortly  after  noon.  Nothing  hap- 
pened to  disturb  our  tranquility  until  the  evening, 
when  there  was  mild  excitement.  One  of  the  native 
passengers  had  gone  to  the  cook  for  hot  water  and 
insisted  on  having  it,  although  there  was  none.  The 
pantry  boy  got  mad,  jumped  the  offender,  and  seized 
his  pigtail  with  the  usual  result.  The  two  made  plenty 
of  noise.  A  missionary  managed  to  separate  the  com- 
batants, and  the  opportune  arrival  of  the  ship's  second 
officer  in  his  pyjamas  with  a  big  slit  in  the  back,  caused 
the  riot  to  adjourn. 

The  next  morning  a  good  start  was  made,  but,  un- 
fortunately, it  did  not  last.  A  fog  came  down  over 
the  river,  and  we  had  to  drop  anchor  again.  But  we 
were  getting  higher  up  and  the  landscape  was  chang- 


CHRISTMAS  EVE  61 

ing.  The  monotony  of  the  plains  was  relieved  by  the 
more  picturesque  scenery  of  the  hills.  The  country 
was  beautifully  undulating.  This  was  doubly  wel- 
come, after  the  continuous  river  flats.  It  was  forty 
miles  below  Ichang  that  the  mountains  first  came  into 
view,  a  beautiful  and  grateful  sight.  I  was  heartily 
glad  to  be  done  with  the  monotonous  plains  and  al- 
luvial flats  of  the  Lower  Yangtze.  At  high  noon  we 
steamed  past  Peh  Yang,  where  are  large  limestone 
quarries  and  kilns.  Here  a  picture  of  great  beauty 
greeted  the  sight.  First  a  handsome  Taoist  temple  in 
a  charming  situation,  with  lofty  mountains  in  the  dis- 
tance and  a  light-coloured  pagoda  perched  solitary  on 
the  top  of  a  high  hill  with  other  pagodas  to  the  south- 
ward. In  the  half-hour  here  several  pagodas  were 
visible,  more  than  I  had  yet  seen  on  the  Yangtze.  At 
Possum  Point,  where  two  white  goats  were  feeding  on 
the  grass,  we  sent  out  the  steam  launch  to  look  for 
rocks.  This  active  craft  plied  about,  dropping  long 
bamboo  poles  with  a  stone  on  the  large  end,  to  indicate 
a  safe  channel.  The  launch  also  waved  a  black  flag 
when  deep  water  was  found.  Two  hours  later  we  en- 
tered Tiger  Teeth  Gorge.  The  two  promontories  have 
each  a  temple  to  regulate  the  spirits  passing  through 
this  exquisite  bit  of  landscape. 

The  fog  having  lifted,  we  made  a  good  run  to 
Ichang,  and  arrived  at  five  P.M.  Numerous  native 
boats  were  in  harbour.  The  high  river  embankment 
was  crowned  with  foreign  houses.  A  Chinese  gunboat 
promptly  came  alongside,  and  a  Mandarin,  deputed  to 
meet  me,  came  aboard.  Unfortunately,  I  had  already 
gone  ashore  to  make  arrangements  for  continuing  my 
journey  up  the  river,  and  thus  missed  seeing  him.  I 
met  a  soldier,  however,  who  told  me  of  the  Mandarin's 
visit,  and  said  the  gunboat  and  Red  Life  Boat  would 


62  FIGHTING  THE  DEMONS 

be  waiting  on  me  at  the  ship's  side  at  six  o'clock  next 
morning.  This  was  a  rare  opportunity  and  I  em- 
braced it.  An  American  traveller  would  be  the  first  to 
make  this  trip  on  a  Chinese  gunboat !  I  acknowledged 
the  courtesy  and  enjoyed  the  novelty.  This  was 
Christmas  Eve.  At  the  residence  of  William  Deans, 
of  the  Scotch  Mission,  I  met  several  foreigners,  among 
whom  were  Dr.  Stooke,  the  missionary  surgeon  who 
has  done  much  to  win  the  confidence  of  the  community 
both  foreign  and  native,  and  two  ladies  from  New 
Zealand.  Here  I  spent  a  pleasant  evening.  Row,  of 
the  Inland  Mission,  invited  me  to  supper  with  Broom- 
hall  and  Evans,  who  were  on  their  way  to  the  West. 
Hung  up  in  the  room  was  the  salutation,  "  Happy 
New  Year,"  done  on  red  cloth  with  white  cotton  and 
fringed  with  living  green. 

On  Christmas  Day,  some  half-dozen  generals  and 
civil  Mandarins  sent  their  cards,  with  requests  that  I 
would  appoint  an  hour  when  they  might  call  on  me, 
but  as  I  was  soon  to  leave  for  up-river,  I  could  not 
grant  them  an  interview.  At  eleven  A.M.  I  attended 
service  at  the  Chinese  Presbyterian  Church.  The  place 
was  crowded  to  its  full  capacity,  and  many  stood  out- 
side. Over  four  hundred  were  present,  most  of  whom 
were  Christians.  This  Scotch  Mission  has  been  a 
great  success  in  Ichang.  The  Belgian  R.  C.  Fathers 
have  a  large  and  well-constructed  set  of  buildings  in  a 
commanding  situation.  In  approaching  the  city  from 
the  south,  these  houses  first  attract  attention.  The 
Pyramid  Mountain  on  the  opposite  shore,  whence  the 
evil  spirits,  to  satisfy  an  ancient  grudge,  are  said  to 
jump  across  the  river  that  they  may  injure  the  city 
and  its  trade,  presents  an  imposing  appearance.  In 
order  to  counteract  the  baleful  influence  of  these 
spirits,  the  rich  merchants  and  officials  subscribe  a 


A  QUICKLY-MADE  CEMETERY          63 

liberal  amount  of  money  to  construct  a  three-storied 
temple  on  the  East  Hill.  This  temple  faces  the  pyra- 
mid, and  heads  off  the  demons  when  they  spring,  and 
tosses  them  back  into  the  water. 

Ichang  means  "  Deserving  Prosperity."  It  contains 
thirty  thousand  souls.  The  floating  population  is  es- 
timated at  two  thousand.  Formerly  all  business  cen- 
tred at  the  North  Gate,  but  since  the  place  was  opened 
as  a  port,  it  has  shifted  to  the  South  Gate.  Trade 
seemed  bad,  however,  and  many  native  banks  were 
closing  their  doors.  One  banker  called  that  morning 
to  see  if  I  had  any  business  to  transact.  A  friend  of 
mine  asked  him  if  his  bank  was  steady.  He  replied, 
"  Keep  your  heart  in  its  place." 

While  taking  a  walk,  I  passed  by  a  piece  of  ground 
adjoining  the  Imperial  Maritime  Customs,  and  now 
used  temporarily  as  a  Chinese  cemetery.  The  Customs 
authorities  have  vainly  attempted  to  buy  this  land,  as 
the  owners  were  very  unwilling  to  part  with  it.  In 
order  to  avoid  being  forced  to  sell,  they  devised  a 
scheme  worthy  of  the  long-headed  John.  Near  by  is 
a  temple  in  which  are  deposited  a  few  coffins  that  have 
not  yet  been  sent  to  the  ancestral  burial-places.  It  is 
contrary  to  law  to  sell  graveyards  in  China,  so  the  wily 
land-owners  conceived  the  plan  of  removing  these 
coffins  to  the  coveted  land,  and  in  this  way  making 
a  graveyard.  They  hurriedly  started  to  dig  graves 
and  filled  them  with  coffins  borrowed  from  the  temple 
— most  of  them  empty,  as  the  supply  gave  out.  The 
bodies  were  not  fresh. 

Soon  after  the  noon  meal  the  money-changer  turned 
up  with  the  silver  to  be  used  en  route.  For  the  rest  of 
my  journey  only  lump  silver  and  "  cash  "  could  be 
used.  There  were  eighteen  nuggets,  each  worth  ten 
taels.  I  took  eight  of  them,  my  secretary  and  the  in- 


64  YANGTZE  HOUSE-BOATS 

terpreter  five  each.  We  also  had  about  ten  thousand 
cash  on  long  strings — heavy,  cumbersome  things. 
Nobody  but  people  who  have  more  time  than  money 
would  be  bothered  with  such  stuff. 

Just  at  this  time,  the  Chentai  of  Deserving  Pros- 
perity sent  his  card  and  a  Christmas  greeting  because 
he  knew  "  it  was  a  great  day  for  foreigners."  The 
Mandarin  who  is  to  accompany  me  asked  for  an  inter- 
view to  conclude  our  business  arrangements.  I  ap- 
pointed one  P.M.,  and  he  arrived  on  the  minute. 

When  the  boy  appeared  with  beef,  mutton,  pork, 
potatoes,  cabbage  and  other  vegetables,  and  a  large 
supply  of  charcoal,  twice  too  much  at  least  for  con- 
sumption on  the  way,  we  descended  the  steep  stone 
stairs  from  the  Bund  of  Ichang  to  the  Red  Boat,  which 
had  orders  to  accompany  me  all  the  way.  It  was 
three-thirty  P.M.,  and  we  at  once  cast  off  and  moved 
away,  passing  many  tall  junks,  with  the  high  cabin 
over  the  stern.  The  bamboo  sail  was  hoisted  and  we 
skimmed  along  with  a  fair  breeze  past  the  Custom's 
pontoon,  around  which  are  grouped  numerous  junks 
loaded  with  hides  and  other  dutiable  goods;  on 
through  long  rows  of  boats  of  all  shapes  and  condi- 
tions not  antagonistic  to  the  fashion  set  by  the  an- 
cestors of  the  modern  ship-builders.  Still,  there  were 
a  few  modernized  native  craft,  but  the  owners  "  save 
their  face "  by  saying  that  Western  nations  have 
adopted  models  that  Chinese  have  forgotten,  and  by 
imitating  foreigners  the  Chinese  are,  after  all,  only  re- 
verting to  the  Chinese  past.  Fas  est  ab  hoste  doceri. 
The  British  gunboat  in  harbour  was  decorated  for 
Christmas,  but  her  German  cousin,  the  man-of-war 
just  across  the  way,  was  not.  I  noticed  a  large  new 
Japanese  warehouse,  or  godown,  as  it  is  called  in 
China,  in  course  of  construction.  I  should  have  omitted 


Hffi 


xxii 


A  LOST  FLAG  65 

noting  this  fact  if  the  building  had  belonged  to  any 
foreigner  other  than  Japanese.  It  showed  that  the  Japs 
are  wide  awake  in  this  part  of  the  world.  Monster  junk 
rudders,  oiled  and  put  out  to  dry,  stood  on  the  beach. 
These  rudders  were  worth  a  little  scrutiny.  We  passed 
many  up- Yangtze  house-boats.  Some  have  three  rooms, 
others  more.  One  I  especially  noticed  was  luxuriously 
fitted  up.  The  prices  for  the  trip  to  Chungking  vary 
from  one  hundred  and  twenty  ounces  of  silver  to  sev- 
eral hundreds.  But  I  was  very  fortunate  in  being  the 
first  foreign  traveller  to  go  up  on  a  native  war  vessel. 

At  four  P.M.  the  Red  Boat  reached  the  gunboat,  and 
was  received  by  a  salute  of  three  guns.  I  found  the 
Mandarin  there,  dressed  in  his  best  silk,  and  the  com- 
mander of  the  gunboat  all  ready  to  receive  and  escort 
me  on  the  up-river  journey.  Their  welcome  was  cordial. 

The  Mandarin,  whose  name  was  Chen  the  Power- 
ful, carried  orders  to  deliver  me  safely.  He  wore  beau- 
tiful zephyr-worked  ear-warmers,  edged  with  fine  fur, 
and  had  so  much  baggage  that  we  sent  soldiers  to 
get  another  Red  Boat.  We  did  not,  however,  need 
this,  as  we  succeeded  in  arranging  the  luggage  in  such 
a  way  as  to  lighten  both  craft.  By  this  time  it  was 
too  late  to  "  put  to  sea."  The  gunboat  and  the  Red 
Boat  had  hauled  up  to  the  steamer's  side  at  seven  in 
the  morning,  but  we  were  delayed  in  getting  off  by 
dilatory  foreigners,  the  intricacies  of  Chinese  Bank 
Exchange,  and  the  necessity  for  lump  silver.  All 
honour  to  the  Chinese  officials  for  their  arrangements 
for  my  comfort!  Prompt,  polite,  and  patient  have 
they  proved  themselves  thus  far! 

It  was  nightfall,  but  all  things  were  ready,  and  we 
expected  to  be  off  early  in  the  morning.  I  was  feeling 
quite  comfortable  and  happy,  and  leisurely  and  com- 
placently looked  about  for  my  American  flag,  which 

E 


66  OLD  MOON 

I  always  carry  with  me.  I  went  through  all  my  easily- 
get-at-able  bags,  but  it  did  not  turn  up.  I  felt  some- 
thing get  big  in  the  region  of  my  heart,  and  became 
quite  anxious,  as  I  overhauled  the  heavier  boxes,  look- 
ing eagerly,  then  desperately,  for  the  emblem  of  free- 
dom and  bravery.  But  I  could  not  find  it  anywhere! 
Then  I  sat  down  to  think.  Yes,  it  had  gone  round  by 
the  sea  to  Rangoon  with  my  other  baggage.  Here  was 
a  pretty  kettle  of  fish !  I  could  not  and  would  not 
travel  without  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  Have  a  flag  I 
must  by  hook  or  by  crook.  Calling  one  of  the  sol- 
diers, I  despatched  him  with  a  note  to  an  American  in 
the  place,  in  which  I  begged  for  the  bunting.  He 
soon  came  back  for  a  lantern,  as  he  could  not  dis- 
tinguish an  American  house  in  the  dark.  The  fact 
was  that  his  way  to  my  friend's  house  led  by  the  grave- 
yard, and  unlike  Tarn  O'Shanter,  he  was  unwilling  to 
risk  his  precious  hide  with  the  spooks,  spirits  and  gob- 
lins. But  he  got  the  light,  and  brought  back  word  that 
there  was  a  flag  five  by  eight  inches  in  the  port,  prob- 
ably not  available.  Despite  this  cheerless  prospect,  I 
determined  not  to  be  outdone.  Accompanied  by  an 
English  interpreter  and  the  Chinese  soldier,  we  re- 
paired to  the  cloth  shop  of  one  "  Old  Moon  "  by  name. 
Old  Moon  was  plump,  and  smoked  a  pipe  a  yard  long. 
We  firmly,  but  politely,  pushed  open  the  closed  door 
and  discovered  eight  men  counting  filthy  lucre  in  the 
shape  of  cash  placed  in  trays,  being,  I  suppose,  the 
proceeds  of  the  day's  sales.  Even  though  I  was  in 
hot  haste,  I  could  not  help  admiring  the  method  of 
assortment.  The  big  specie  were  placed  by  themselves 
to  be  put  in  the  middle  of  the  "  string  "  when  this 
"  legal  tender  "  was  made  up.  The  little  ones  were 
used  to  taper  off  the  string  and  make  up  the  one  thou- 
sand which,  to  an  American,  is  an  hypothecated 


THE  NIGHT  WATCHMAN  67 

value.  It  looked  quite  symmetrical  when  finished  with 
the  big  in  the  middle  and  the  little  at  the  ends. 

Well,  Old  Moon  at  first  refused  even  to  sell  the 
cloth.  It  was  past  business  hours  and  too  late,  but 
after  some  persuasion,  he  sold  me  three  Chinese  feet 
each  of  red  and  white  cloth  and  a  square  of  blue,  and  a 
spool  of  cotton.  Old  Moon  demanded  five  hundred 
and  thirty-two  cash  for  the  cloth  and  one  hundred  cash 
for  the  thread.  And  these  materials  were  to  constitute 
a  flag  of  the  American  Republic  destined  to  play  an 
important  part  in  a  great  journey  across  China!  I 
handed  the  shopkeeper  a  Mexican  dollar  worth  eight 
hundred  and  twenty  cash  in  '  Deserving  Prosperity  ' 
and,  just  for  fun,  took  up  one  of  his  already  strung 
one  thousand  cash  and  pulled  off  two  hundred.  He 
smiled  and  nodded  assent.  So  I  appeared  to  have 
bought  the  stuff  for  six  hundred  and  twenty  cash. 
But  money  in  China  is  very  crazy. 

I  had  intended  to  play  tailor  and  make  the  flag  my- 
self, even  if  it  delayed  us.  But  Old  Moon  got  his 
curiosity  aroused.  "  Was  I  the  new  Consul  General  ?  " 
"  How  old  was  I?"  Some  said  I  was  in  my  teens; 
others  guessed  I  was  in  my  twenties,  and  all  smiled 
great  Celestial  smiles.  Then  I  asked  Old  Moon  to  find 
me  a  tailor  who  would  be  willing  to  work  that  night 
and  make  a  flag  under  my  direction.  It  was  already 
eight  o'clock,  but  Old  Moon  gave  me  an  affirmative 
sign,  and  disappeared  down  the  dark  narrow  street. 
He  soon  returned,  bringing  the  kind  of  workman  of 
which  the  proverb  saith  it  takes  nine  to  make  a  man, 
but  he  became  so  scared  at  the  prospect  (probably  of 
myself)  that  he  declined  the  job.  A  second  attempt 
on  the  part  of  Old  Moon  was  more  successful. 
"  Sound  Faith "  was  secured,  and  he  called  three 
others.  This  quartette  worked  hard  for  more  than 


68  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  HOME 

two  hours.  As  it  was  too  late  to  put  all  the  stars  in 
the  corner,.!  told  him  thirteen  would  be  enough.  He 
gave  me  good  measure,  and  put  in  fourteen.  As  this 
would  knock  out  the  original  intent  and  might  be  con- 
strued as  showing  preference,  I  ordered  him  to  remove 
one.  While  I  was  waiting  in  the  cold  room,  the  night 
watchman  passed  by,  beating  his  drum.  He  does  this 
to  warn  all  thieves  and  murderers  to  flee,  and  let  the 
town  know  that  he  is  awake  and  on  duty.  The  watch- 
man beats  his  drum  five  times  every  night  at  intervals ; 
one  stroke  for  the  first  watch,  two  for  the  second,  and 
so  on.  Then  somebody  passed  jingling  bells  which 
sounded  just  like  the  sleigh  bells  I  have  heard  on 
Christmas  night  at  my  home  in  Pennsylvania,  far,  far 
away.  Ah,  home!  And  the  contrast  with  such  a 
place  as  this !  I  thought  of  home  so  emphatically  that 
it  actually  hurt.  Suddenly  the  notes  of  a  familiar 
Christmas  hymn  sung  to  Chinese  words  fell  upon  my 
ear.  On  enquiry  I  found  that  the  landlord,  who  lived 
near  by,  a  man  of  independent  means,  was  having 
family  worship;  and  I  thanked  God  that  even  in  these 
wretched  Chinese  cities  the  Light  of  the  World  is  be- 
ginning to  shine. 

The  flag  was  finished.  It  cost  twenty-five  cents 
gold.  Bidding  the  workmen  good-bye,  we  started  off 
to  the  gunboat.  We  met  the  watchman,  who  was 
striking  three.  Eleven  o'clock!  We  found  the  big 
city  gates  closed,  but  at  the  word  of  the  warrior  es- 
corting the  Great  American,  they  were  flung  open,  and 
we  passed  out. 


':, 


H   ^  A   ^  II 

Much  courtesy  forestalls  offence. 

CHAPTER  V. 

THROUGH  THE  GREAT  YANGTZE  GORGES — ICHANG 

TO  THE  WILD  RAPIDS IN  A  CHINESE  GUNBOAT 

THE         RED         HEIFER RIVER         DISASTERS THE 

SACRED    EDICT — SALUTING    THE   AMERICAN    FLAG, 
t 

T  was  a  young  and  beautiful  morning 
with  a  cloudless  sky,  this  beginning 
of  the  twenty-seventh  Sun  of  the 
eleventh  Moon  of  the  Old  Tiger. 
It  was  less  than  a  quarter  after 
six,  and  the  striped  canvas  of  the 
native  gunboat  had  been  noise- 
lessly struck  and  everything  made 
snug  and  smart  in  ten  minutes'  time.  The  man 
in  the  prow  was  getting  the  black  cannon  ready,  and 
the  sun  was  rising  back  of  (bang  went  the  cannon!) 
the  city.  The  echo  as  it  rolled  over  the  river  and  up 
the  opposite  mountain  side  was  reinforced  by  a  second 
and  then  a  third  shot.  Thus  my  "  honourable  coun- 
try "  and  myself  were  honoured.  The  bamboo  moor- 
g  line  was  quickly  slipped,  and  in  a  jiffy  we  were 
ell  out  into  the  stream.  The  Red  Life  Boat  was 
quite  as  spry,  and  thus  early  was  begun  the  memorable 
journey  of  a  Yankee  in  a  Chinese  gunboat.  As  we 
passed  the  junks  and  smaller  craft,  a  sampan  shot  out 


70  A  CHINESE  GUNBOAT 

to  us  and  hauled  alongside,  and  from  her  deck  disap- 
peared beautiful  green  and  white  vegetables  which  pres- 
ently reappeared  on  our  prow.  The  Pyramid  was  sharp- 
ly silhouetted  against  the  Eastern  sky,  and  we  imagined 
ghostly  shapes  leaping  for  the  further  shore  and  being 
hurled  back  by  the  guardian  deity  of  fair  Ichang. 

The  gunboat  in  which  I  sailed  was  a  one-masted, 
square-prowed,  high-sterned  craft  about  forty  feet 
from  end  to  end,  and  not  above  nine  feet  beam.  The 
mast  had  only  one  single  shroud  on  the  port  side,  the 
other  side  being  more  or  less  supported  by  the  halyard. 
The  solitary  mast  was  forty  feet  high  and  stood  in  a 
socket,  a  mechanism  by  which  it  could  be  easily  low- 
ered. The  top  of  the  mast  was  a  red  wooden  spear- 
head supplemented  by  three  little  flags  on  the  port  side. 
The  gaff  was  fifteen  feet  long,  made  of  a  short  piece 
of  wood,  and  the  boom  was  of  stout  bamboo  twenty 
feet  long.  In  between  these,  arranged  at  regular  inter- 
vals, were  fourteen  bamboos  without  the  support  of 
which  the  clumsy  sail  could  be  blown  to  rags,  as  it  was 
made  of  the  thinnest  calico.  The  main  sheet  was  at- 
tached by  a  fan-like  arrangement  to  the  ends  of  these 
eight  bamboos,  the  entire  number  of  which  were 
brought  home  to  a  block  at  the  rudder  post,  so  that  the 
sail  was  worked  with  the  greatest  facility.  The  gen- 
eral shape  of  the  sail  may  be  described  as  a  leg-o'- 
mutton  sail  and  a  mixture  between  a  lug  and  a  lateen. 
This  kind  of  a  sail  is  extremely  handy  on  account  of 
its  lightness,  and  the  fact  that  it  reefs  itself  as  it  is  run 
down.  She  carried  the  long  fish-blade  car  with  a 
T-topped  handle  strung  with  a  leather  thong.  There 
were  ten  oarsmen,  six  abaft  the  mast  and  four  for- 
ward. The  part  some  four  feet  forward  of  the  mast 
was  occupied  by  the  cook's  galley,  a  most  economical 
contrivance  which  consisted  of  a  stove  burning  coal 


K\\  AN  TU  K'ON,  LOWER  ENTRANCE  OF  THE  WU  SHAN  GORCIK. 


CAUCO    110AT   (iOfXr,   UP   THE   IE-TAN    RAPID. 

\\\v 


AN  ODDLY-NAMED  CREW  71 

cakes,  the  fire  of  which  is  never  let  out  day  or  night, 
and  gave  no  smoke.  She  sat  like  a  Delaware  duck  on 
the  water,  and,  with  a  fair  wind,  was  not  likely  to  be 
out-sailed  by  any  boat  on  the  river.  On  the  whole,  she 
was  as  trim  and  natty  a  little  vessel  as  one  could  wish 
to  find  even  in  waters  outside  of  China.  She  boasted 
of  one  cannon  forward,  which  was  supposed  to  carry 
a  mile,  and  a  stack  of  rifles  by  the  captain's  cabin. 
There  were  also  huge  horse  pistols  for  the  crew,  and 
some  other  firing  irons.  The  official  designation  of 
this  clean,  trim  war  vessel  was  "  Gunboat  No.  7  of  the 
Advance  Squadron  of  the  Ichang  District." 

The  skipper  was  an  interesting  Chinaman.  After 
some  effort  I  got  him  to  talk,  and  elicited  the  following 
facts.  He  was  forty-two  years  of  age,  and  went  to 
sea  at  sixteen.  Most  of  the  time  he  had  been  in  the 
coast  Provinces,  but  his  home  was  in  Hunan,  and  now 
he  lived  temporarily  in  Ichang.  He  went  out  after  a 
band  of  robbers  in  the  fourth  Moon,  and  spent  two 
Moons  following  them  up  to  catch  them.  As  soon  as 
they  heard  he  was  on  their  track,  they  turned  into  good 
people  and  offered  no  resistance  when  captured !  The 
skipper  gave  up  his  cabin  over  the  stern  to  me,  and 
slept  down  in  the  hold  where  the  tiller-man  was  ac- 
customed to  night  it.  The  fine  old  steersman  took  to 
the  right  of  my  cabin  door.  The  crew  was  composed 
of  twelve  men  all  told,  including  the  cook,  so  that, 
with  the  captain,  we  had  the  so-called  unlucky  number 
of  thirteen.  They  were  all  nice,  prompt,  and  intelli- 
gent-looking fellows.  Translated  into  English,  there 
were  some  odd  names  among  them.  The  captain  was 
Mr.  Long  Bow ;  the  coxswain,  "  An-Official-Bound 
for-Glory."  "  The-Ever- Victorious-Colour,"  "  Special- 
Promise,"  "  Red-Cinnamon-Grove,"  "  Little-Profit," 
"Great-Treasure-of-a-Drum,"  "Graceful-Rest,"  "Kee- 


72  A  CHINESE  SUPERSTITION 

per-of-Truce,"  and  "  Crabtree-who-takes-hold-of-Be- 
nevolence "  made  up,  with  the  others,  a  fine  lot  of 
young  Chinamen. 

The  Red  Life  Boat,  like  the  gunboat,  carried  a  mast 
as  tall  as  she  was  long,  and  a  monster  stern  sweep  as 
long  as  either.  She  belonged  to  the  Life-Saving 
Service,  and  was  painted  red.  Boats  of  this  kind  are 
stationed  at  every  considerable  rapid  to  watch  for  ac- 
cidents, which  are  constantly  occurring.  Number 
twelve  had  rescued  more  than  one  hundred  persons 
and  carried  a  stalwart  crew  of  six  young  men,  who 
were  experts  at  the  oars.  She  had  a  small  oblong  sail, 
and  usually  kept  well  up  writh  the  gunboat.  Each  man 
of  the  crew  received  about  three  taels,  or  two  dollars 
gold,  a  month,  and  found  his  own  rice.  I  have  not 
learned  the  number  of  these  very  useful  little  craft  on 
the  river,  but  a  popular  report  of  the  Yangtze  Life- 
Saving  Service  would-be  as  interesting  as  the  reports 
of  the  life-saving  stations  along  our  lengthy  American 
sea  coast.  On  board  the  Red  Boat  was  the  Civil  Man- 
darin, who  had  the  Viceroy's  orders  to  attend  me.  He 
had  further  orders  to  assist  the  gunboat  in  case  of 
accident  along  the  route,  and  especially  at  the  Rapids. 
The  boats  sailed  slowly  under  a  light  wind,  and  in 
three  hours  Ichang  was  lost  to  my  view  for  ever. 

Among  the  necessary  preliminaries  to  starting  on  a 
boat  of  this  kind,  the  Chinese  usually  kill  a  cock  and 
smear  the  blood  and  feathers  on  the  bow  of  the  boat. 
Rice  is  also  thrown  over  the  entire  boat  as  she  puts  out 
from  the  shore.  In  addition  to  these  performances, 
a  liberal  supply  of  fire  crackers  are  let  off  to  show  the 
River  God  that  he  is  not  forgotten.  But  as  a  foreign 
guest  was  on  board  the  gunboat,  I  was  spared  the 
penance  of  witnessing  this  display  of  the  superstitions 
in  which  the  natives  live,  move,  and  have  their  being. 


THE  ICHANG  GORGE  73 

Instead  of  this,  the  cannon  saluted  and  shook  the 
vessel  from  stem  to  stern.  The  cook  cut  his  hand  se- 
verely with  a  clumsy  axe,  while  trying  to  cut  some 
bamboo  rope  into  lengths  to  be  used  for  torches.  He 
straightway  smeared  his  fingers  with  his  own  blood 
and  began  to  write  charms  on  the  deck.  This  is  a  fine 
art  not  revealed  to  many.  Presently  he  rubbed  some 
powdered  medicine  over  the  wound  instead  of  cleans- 
ing it.  On  my  enquiring  what  the  wonderful  concoc- 
tion was,  he  replied,  "  Pulverized  Dragon  Bones." 

By  noon  we  were  at  the  entrance  of  the  Ichang 
Gorge.  Here  were  perpendicular  cliffs  eight  hundred 
feet  high.  Along  their  base  men  were  hard  at  work 
quarrying  bluestone  for  the  Ichang  Embankment.  It 
looked  as  if  we  were  sailing  through  a  chain  of  moun- 
tain lakes.  Little  can  one  imagine  the  grand  and  sub- 
lime scenery  in  China  who  limits  his  travel  to  the 
Yellow  coast.  But  let  him  go  a  thousand  miles  up  the 
Yangtze,  and  venture  further  up  through  the  rapids 
between  Ichang  and  Wan  Hsien,  and  then  the  truth 
will  dawn  upon  him  that  in  all  this  world  there  is  no 
finer  scenery  anywhere.  Here  were  the  most  colossal 
cliffs  and  palisades  I  had  ever  seen  since  leaving  the 
wonderland  of  New  Zealand.  Along  the  summit  on 
those  crags  an  eagle  soared  to  its  lofty  eyrie.  The  whole 
scene  was  weirdly  romantic.  The  first  section  of  the 
Ichang  Gorge  bears  the  highly  poetical  name  of  "  Moon- 
shine," and  the  second  is  called  the  "  Yellow  Cat." 

Soon  after  two  in  the  afternoon,  we  had  passed 
through  the  Ichang  Gorge  and  were  in  the  granite 
country.  At  this  stage  I  got  into  conversation  with 
Mr.  Yun.  I  asked  him  to  tell  me  about  the  great  flood 
which  devastated  this  valley,  and  carried  away  multi- 
tudes of  people.  He  said,  "  Though  I  saw  it  with  my 
own  eyes,  and  though  it  was  very  terrible,  it  happened 


74  THE  RED  HEIFER 

so  long  ago  that  I  have  forgotten  all  about  it."  The 
poor  fellow  was  evidently  afraid  I  was  trying  to  en- 
trap him  into  admitting  some  neglect  of  duty  then,  and 
believed  with  Horace,  Percunctatorem  fugito  nam 
garrulus  idem  est.  The  skipper  came  to  the  rescue 
and  related  how,  once  upon  a  time,  the  water  became 
dammed  up  and  could  not  get  away.  To  relieve  the 
overflow  the  idol,  Kang  Yeh,  met  a  red  heifer  and 
asker  her  to  tell  him  where  they  could  find  an  outlet 
for  the  water.  She  assented,  and  he  grabbed  the  cow 
by  the  tail  and  she  led  him  to  the  place.  Later  returns 
indicate  that  the  heifer  was  afterwards  carried  up  to 
heaven,  and  the  small  fry  gods  built  a  temple  on  earth 
for  her  worship.  For  we  were  shown  the  spot  where 
is  located  the  Red  Cow  Temple.  Tradition  says  that 
the  moment  the  idol  and  the  cow  entered  the  valley, 
the  water  rushed  through  and  formed  a  new  channel. 
All  sorts  of  other  wonderful  tales  are  told 

"  Of  moving  accidents  by  flood  and  field " 
in   this   region.      In   the   summer   months   the   river 
usually  rises  over  fifty  feet. 

Twenty  miles  of  rope  and  fifty  thousand  miles  of 
lampwick.  This  seems  at  first  an  exaggerated  state- 
ment, but  a  cargo  representing  so  many  miles  can  be 
carried  by  a  few  boats  on  the  Yangtze.  The  rope  is 
made  of  bamboo,  and  is  stronger  and  lighter  than 
that  used  in  other  countries.  The  tow-lines  used  by 
all  the  craft  on  the  Upper  Yangtze  are  made  of 
bamboo.  At  one  rope  emporium  there  was  on  hand 
over  twenty  miles  of  line.  Miles  more  were  being 
soaked  in  lime.  As  to  the  lampwicks,  I  estimated  that 
on  three  boats  lashed  together,  there  were  enough,  if 
laid  out  in  a  single  line,  to  twice  girdle  the  earth  at  the 
Equator.  These  boats  take  thirty  days  to  descend  the 
river  from  Chungking.  So  easily  is  the  voyage  affected 


THE  OFFENCE  OF  THE  CROSS         75 

by  the  wind  that  extreme  care  is  necessary  to  avoid 
losing  the  cargo. 

When  we  had  got  within  a  short  distance  of  the  first 
great  rapids,  we  lay  to  and  stood  alongside  another 
gunboat.  As  my  interpreter  was  stepping  from  one 
vessel  to  the  other,  a  boatman,  who  wanted  to  help, 
saluted  him  as  "  My  Lord  Chang."  Our  little  Man- 
darin whispered,  "  There  is  only  one  lord,  that  is  My 
Lord  Geil."  Ready  with  "  the  soft  phrase  of  peace," 
the  boatman  corrected  himself,  and  said,  "  Mr.  Chang," 
but  when  I  passed  over,  there  was  much  ado  and 
saluting,  and  I  was  "  My  Lord  Geil."  In  New  Guinea 
they  called  me  "  The  Big  White  Chief,"  but  now  I  was 
"  My  Lord  Geil."  Whether  I  shall  be  able  to  recog- 
nise my  humble  friends  when  I  reach  home  remaineth 
to  be  seen.  When  I  returned  to  my  cabin,  I  found 
a  Chinese  ten-cash  coin  which  someone  had  dropped. 
The  character  -^-,  meaning  ten,  is  very  prominently 
stamped  on  the  ordinary  piece.  I  learned  something 
new  about  the  Offence  of  the  Cross.  The  cross  is,  for 
obvious  reasons,  inseparably  connected  in  the  Chinese 
mind  with  missionaries,  and  is  consequently  despised 
by  all  Boxers.  A  short  time  before  the  Boxer  out- 
break in  nineteen  hundred,  some  leading  spirits 
urgently  petitioned  the  Government  to  change  this 
hateful  character.  The  Government  acquiesced,  and 
a  special  cash  of  the  same  value  was  struck  off,  but  the 
character  ten  did  not  appear  in  the  usual  way,  but  in  a 
complicated  form  in  which  the  cross  was  entirely  ob- 
literated. The  coin  I  picked  up  was  one  of  these,  and 
represents  the  Offence  of  the  Cross. 

From  Ichang  there  is  one  regular  succession  of  beau- 
tiful pictures,  grand  vistas,  and  magnificent  mountain 
scenery.  No  artist  has  ever  succeeded  in  reproducing 
on  canvas  the  colours  of  a  sunset,  and  no  words  can 


;6  RIVER  DISASTERS 

describe  the  grandeur  of  the  scenes  along  the  Yangtze 
gorges  and  rapids.  At  one  point  the  perpendicular 
cliffs  rise  up  from  the  water's  edge  and  form  a  solid 
wall  two  thousand  feet  high.  At  another,  these  cliffs 
reach  the  sky-line  at  four  thousand  feet.  There  are 
greater  cliffs  and  higher  mountains  on  the  earth,  but 
these  are  not  set  off  with  such  gorgeous  views.  The 
ensemble  is  perfect,  and  I  was  fascinated  with  the  sight. 
A  little  element  of  danger  lent  additional  charm  as  our 
boats  swept  through  wild  rapids  with  the  whirl  and 
swirl  of  the  torrent  threatening  to  engulf  us  every 
moment.  And  the  attraction  was  further  enhanced 
when  we  entered  a  gloomy  and  uncanny  looking  open- 
ing in  the  mountains,  and  saw  the  temples  which  the 
heathen,  under  the  whip  of  a  guilty  conscience,  had 
erected  to  protect  from  devils  bent  on  mischief  the 
mortal  who  dared  to  enter  these  dark  abodes. 

At  the  entrance  of  the  Tungling  Rapid  is  a  rock,  by 
which  lies  hidden  the  sunken  hulk  of  a  German 
steamer.  Within  twenty  minutes  of  the  time  she 
struck,  she  had  entirely  disappeared  underneath  that 
torrent  of  dark  water.  Thirty  missionaries  were  on 
board,  and  only  one  foreigner,  the  captain,  was 
drowned.  There  were  many  Chinese  lost.  Among 
them  was  the  son  of  a  Mandarin  on  his  way  to  the 
Examinations  at  Wan  Hsien,  his  native  city.  After 
the  steamer  struck  the  rock,  a  servant  helped  this  young 
man  to  clamber  on  to  a  Red  Life  Boat  that  had  come  to 
the  assistance  of  the  ill-fated  ship.  But  not  recognis- 
ing the  immediate  danger,  he  foolishly  returned  to  his 
cabin  on  the  steamer  to  save  some  valuables  from  his 
boxes.  Before  he  could  secure  these,  the  vessel  went 
down,  and  both  the  valuables  and  himself  were  en- 
coffined  and  buried  in  a  watery  grave.  Another  of  the 
victims  was  a  Chinese  gentleman  who  had  been  in  busi- 


HUDDHIST  NUNS  NEAR  THE  SHIN  TAN,  EX  ROUTE  TO  WAN. 


THE  AUTHOR  AT  WORK  77 

ness  in  Shanghai,  and  had  accumulated  a  considerable 
fortune.  He  was  on  his  way  home,  and,  while  at 
Ichang,  found  this  large  foreign  vessel  going  up. 
"This  is  the  thing  for  me,"  he  said;  "I'll  take  it." 
So,  putting  all  his  treasures  on  board,  he  secured  pas-- 
sage— and  went  down  with  the  rest.  During  the  long 
years  of  China's  history,  how  many  souls  have  been 
lost  in  these  rushing  waters! 

In  my  diary  I  notice  this  remarkable  incident  re- 
corded— The  cook  washed  his  hands  this  morning. 
Why  should  he  do  this?  Are  not  his  hands  cleansed 
sufficiently  from  their  various  accumulations  by  mix- 
ing bread,  preparing  rice,  and  other  things  requiring 
direct  manipulation? 

Of  my  own  usual  daily  occupation  my  kind  secre- 
tary, Mr.  Douglas  McLean,  has  written  the  following 
description  which  is  here  inserted : — "  As  soon  as  the 
first  sign  of  daylight  appears,  Mr.  Geil,  clad  in  an 
enormous  sheepskin  overcoat  (dark  blue  lining  out- 
side) and  wearing  a  soft  brown  felt  hat  such  as  would 
have  delighted  the  heart  of  the  world-famed  "  Dead- 
wood  Dick,"  takes  his  stand  outside  the  cabin  door, 
and  describes  the  scenery  as  it  unfolds  itself  to  his 
admiring  gaze.  His  visible  wardrobe  is  completed  by 
tan  boots  and  a  heavy  grey  sweater,  and  those  who 
have  seen  him  in  the  immaculate  shirt  front  and  fault- 
less frock  coat  of  the  public  platform  would  be  amused, 
could  they  meet  him  in  this  rough  and  ready  garb.  I 
say  his  gaze,  because  the  door  of  the  cabin  is  blocked 
by  the  aforesaid  overcoat,  and  as  there  are  no  windows 
in  front  of  me,  I  can  see  very  little.  The  windows  (?) 
are  in  the  sides  of  the  cabin  a  little  to  my  rear,  and  are 
made  of  wood  hung  from  the  top  edge,  and  propped 
out  by  a  piece  of  small  bamboo,  so  that  only  the  water 
of  the  river  is  visible. 


78  THE  WHITE  BONES  PAGODA 

"  Whenever  anything  noteworthy  strikes  his  atten- 
tion, he  dictates  a  description,  which  I  take  down  im- 
mediately on  the  typewriter,  and  thus  the  panorama  is 
recorded  as  it  passes.  Nothing  of  interest  escapes  his 
critical  eye,  so  that  the  click  of  the  machine,  though  not 
so  constant  as  the  tick  of  the  clock,  makes  a  good  sub- 
stitute for  the  softer  sound  of  the  absent  horologe. 

"  The  rearward  view  is  obtained  by  standing  on  the 
ample  rudder-post  which  projects  a  foot  from  the 
deck ;  and  this  foot,  added  to  Mr.  Geil's  seven  feet  less 
nine  inches,  after  deducting  nearly  six  feet  for  the 
height  of  the  arched  roof  of  the  cabin,  leaves  a  sub- 
stantial credit  balance  in  the  right  position  for  observ- 
ing scenery.  When  an  exceptionally  fine  view  is 
behind  us,  Mr.  Geil  stands  on  a  Chinese  basket  trunk 
about  two  feet  high,  and  holds  forth  from  that  exalted 
station.  This  goes  on  from  dawn  till  dark,  and  as  the 
cabin  is  not  well  lighted,  the  early  and  late  descriptions 
are  written  by  the  aid  of  a  candle  at  both  ends." 

When  at  last  we  had  reached  the  entrance  of  the 
Chintan  Rapids  my  Mandarin,  Chen  the  Powerful, 
objected  to  my  staying  in  the  boat  while  she  passed 
through  the  swirling  waters,  as  the  danger  was  too 
great ;  so  I  decided  to  go  on  shore  and  take  some  pho- 
tographs. The  kind  little  Mandarin  was  .very  solici- 
tous for  my  safety,  and,  mostly  to  oblige  him,  I  got 
on  shore  and  walked.  On  the  way  I  took  a  photograph 
of  a  three-storied  tower  named  "  The  White  Bones 
Pagoda."  The  soldier  who  accompanied  me  said  it 
was  built  for  orphan  souls,  that  is,  for  those  drowned 
in  the  turbulent  Chintan  Rapids,  and  who  have  no 
earthly  friends  to  furnish  them  with  spiritual  necessi- 
ties. At  the  side  of  the  pagoda  was  the  solitary  grave 
of  a  poor  fellow  who  was  killed  while  trying  to  shoot 
the  rapids.  His  body  will  remain  there  until  some 


DE  MORTUIS  NIL  NISI  VERUM         79 

kind  person  provides  the  money  to  pay  for  its  removal 
to  the  ancestral  home. 

While  passing  along  the  village,  perched  high  upon 
a  narrow  ledge  of  rock,  I  stopped  at  a  house  where 
funeral  services  were  being  held.  In  front  of  the  house, 
which  was  open,  and  in  the  narrow  street,  stood  a 
paper  pagoda  altar.  Near  this,  on  a  round  block,  a 
goat's  head  with  blood  scattered  about  it  was  placed. 
Incense  and  a  small  candle  (stuck  in  a  half-turnip,  for 
lack  of  a  better  stand)  were  lighted.  On  the  opposite 
side  of  the  paper  altar  was  a  pig's  head  and  some 
tawdry  hangings.  Relations  of  the  deceased,  consist- 
ing of  men,  women  and  children,  all  with  their  heads 
bound  with  white  turbans,  stood  rather  cheerfully,  I 
thought,  about  the  curved-topped  coffin.  The  smallest 
mourner  was  a  tiny  baby  dressed  in  funeral  apparel  of 
white,  for  this  is  the  Chinese  mourning  colour.  We 
stepped  into  a  tea  shop  and  had  a  conversation  with  an 
old  Taoist  priest,  who  was  connected  with  the  proceed- 
ings, and  who  carried  a  long  string  of  cash  across  his 
left  shoulder.  He  said  the  deceased  was  seventy-one 
years  old,  and  that  a  sacrifice  was  made  to  atone  for 
his  many  sins.  This  sitting  on  a  man's  sins,  after  he  is 
dead,  was  refreshing;  I  mean  the  bold  truthfulness  of 
it.  In  enlightened  countries  the  funeral  is  often  the 
occasion  to  invent  and  perpetuate  the  most  barefaced 
falsehoods.  The  old  sinner,  when  dead,  is  talked 
about  as  though  he  were  the  choicest  saint  in  heaven. 
These  Taoists  have  some  virtues.  They  suggest  in 
their  ritual  for  the  dead  the  ancient  Egyptian  method 
of  dealing  with  defunct  scamps.  The  proverb  would 
then  read,  "  De  mortuis  nil  nisi  verum." 

In  this  part  of  China  they  have  three  different  kinds 
of  offerings  at  funerals — a  pig's  head,  a  goat's  head,  or  a 
fowl.  These  are  to  help  the  dead  through  his  migrations. 


8o  THE  SACRED  EDICT 

If  the  family  of  the  deceased  is  rich,  sacrifices  will  be 
offered  for  him,  but  if  not,  he  must  shift  for  himself. 

I  took  a  photograph  of  a  particularly  striking  bit  of 
architecture  in  a  narrow  street  at  the  corner  of  a  still 
narrower  lane.  It  proved  to  be  the  ancestral  hall  of 
Mr.  Tu. 

I  stopped  again  to  enquire  about  a  tablet  which 
stood  in  a  small,  bureau-like  case  by  the  side  of  the 
street.  Some  placards  like  proclamations  were  pasted 
up  close  by.  Here  was  a  station  for  preaching  the 
Sacred  Edict.  As  the  Sacred  Edict  has  figured  so 
largely  in  the  life  of  the  Chinese  people  for  three  hun- 
dred years,  a  short  explanation  of  it  here  by  a  cele- 
brated missionary  will  not  be  out  of  place.  He  says: 
"  The  sixteen  maxims,  which  form  the  ground  work 
of  this  book,  were  delivered,  in  an  edict,  by  the 
Emperor  Kang-he,  the  second  of  the  present  dynasty, 
in  the  latter  part  of  his  life;  the  same  Emperor  by 
whose  authority  the  Chinese  Imperial  Dictionary  was 
compiled. 

"  These  maxims,  each  of  which,  in  the  original,  con- 
tains seven  characters,  or  words,  were  neatly  written 
out  on  small  slips  of  wood,  and  placed  in  the  public 
offices,  where  they  are  to  be  seen  at  the  present  day. 

"  The  Emperor  Yung-Ching,  the  son  and  successor 
of  Kang-he,  wisely  considering  that  the  conciseness 
of  these  maxims  would  necessarily  prevent  their  gen- 
eral utility,  wrote  an  Amplification  of  them,  which  he 
published  in  the  second  year  of  his  reign;  and  ordered 
it  to  be  read  publicly  to  the  people,  on  the  first  and 
fifteenth  of  each  month."  .  .  .  .  "  At  present  the 
law  is  read,  or  should  be  read,  twice  a  month,  namely, 
on  the  first  and  fifteenth.  The  manner  of  it  is  as  fol- 
lows. Early  on  the  first  and  fifteenth  of  every  Moon, 
the  civil  and  military  officers,  dressed  in  their  uniform, 


THE   SACRED  EDICT. 


ft    A   ft    £1    *    *   « 

Pay  due  regard  to  filial  and  fraternal  duties  in  order  to  em- 
phasize social  relations. 

m  m  B3  a  m  %  n 

Respect  kindred  in  order  to  display  the  excellence  of  harmony. 

ffi    i»   A   £1   ft   *    ft 

Pacify  the  local  communities  in  order  to  put  an  end  to  litigation. 

*  *  a  a  *  •  ft 

Magnify  farming  and  mulberry  culture  that  there  may  be  suf- 
ficient food  and  clothing. 

«.  ±  s  a  «  «.  B 

Value  economy  in  order  to  prevent  the  waste  of  wealth. 

m  f»  ®  &  ft  flJ  ft 

Magnify  academic  learning  in  order  to  direct  the  scholar's  habit. 

m  E  *  a  m  H  • 

Extirpate  heresy  and  thus  exalt  orthodoxy. 

a'  B  ft  £l  ft  &.  B 

Explain  the  laws  in  order  to  warn  the  foolish  and  wayward. 

«    *    »    £1.    «  jH    » 

Exhibit    courtesy    and    complaisance    in    order    to    improve 
manners. 

»  iR  ft  H  «   #  * 

Let  each  man  abide  in  his  calling  in  order  to  settle  the  popular 
will. 

*  *  il  £1  »  *  . » 

Instruct  the  youth  and  thus  prevent  evil  doing. 

K  8   £  £l  ft  ffi  .ft 

Suppress  false  accusations  in  order  to  shield  the  good. 

.«  *  %  a  a  •  « 

Prohibit  giving  shelter  to  deserters  in  order  to  prevent  the 
implication  of  others. 

8   ff   g  £1.  fl  a   £ 

Pay  taxes  in  order  to  avoid  persistent  duns. 

W   ft   8B   £1    ¥    *   » 

Unite  the  tithings  in  order  to  suppress  crime. 

ft   *   ft   £1    8   *   * 

Make  up  quarrels  in  order  to  respect  the  person  and  life. 
F 


82  FILIAL  PIETY 

meet  in  a  clean,  spacious  public  hall.  The  superin- 
tendent, who  is  called  Lee-Sang,  calls  aloud,  '  Stand 
forth  in  files.'  They  do  so,  according  to  tteir  rank; 
he  then  says,  *  Kneel  thrice,  and  bow  the  head  nine 
times.'  They  kneel  and  bow  to  the  ground,  with  their 
faces  towards  a  platform,  on  which  is  placed  a  board 
with  the  Emperor's  name.  He  next  calls  aloud,  '  Rise 
and  retire.'  They  rise,  and  all  go  to  a  hall,  or  kind 
of  chapel,  where  the  law  is  usually  read;  and  where 
military  and  people  are  assembled,  standing  round  in 
silence. 

"  The  Lee-Sang  then  says,  '  Respectfully  com- 
mence.' The  Szekiang-Zang,  or  orator,  advancing 
towards  an  incense  altar,  kneels,  reverently  takes  up 
the  board  on  which  the  maxim  appointed  for  the  day  is 
written,  and  ascends  a  stage  with  it.  An  old  man  re- 
ceives the  board,  and  puts  it  down  on  the  stage,  fronting 
the  people.  Then,  commanding  silence  with  a  wooden 
rattle  which  he  carries  in  his  hand,  he  kneels,  and  reads 
it.  When  he  has  finished,  Lee-Sang  calls  out,  '  Ex- 
plain such  a  section,  or  maxim,  of  the  sacred  edict.' 
The  orator  stands  up,  and  gives  the  sense.  In  reading 
and  expounding  other  parts  of  the  law,  the  same  forms 
are  also  observed." 

But  the  practice  of  reading  the  Maxims  by  the  Man- 
darins has  relapsed  into  "  innocuous  desuetude."  It 
is  read  now  by  individuals  only  who  wish  to  obtain 
merit  by  "  exhorting  the  people."  However,  "  the 
public  "  in  China,  like  every  other  public,  do  not  relish 
exhortation.  Ad  captandum  vidgus,  the  Maxims  must 
be  relieved  by  some  diversion.  The  attraction  con- 
sists of  story-telling,  for  which  the  plebs  is  willing 
to  pay  the  penance  of  listening  to  a  maxim  or  two. 
The  Sacred  Edict  contains  good  moral  and  practical 
advice.  While  many  disregard  its  teachings,  there  are 


MR.    SHU,  MINOR  OFFICIAL  NEAR  WAN. 

xxvii 


xxviii 


INSTANCE  OF  CELESTIAL  REASONING    83 

no  destructive  Higher  Critics  who  "  monkey "  with 
the  text.  No  Chinese  doubts  its  authenticity  and 
authorship. 

The  expounders  of  the  Edict  use  many  illustrations. 
Some  of  these  are  very  apt,  even  to  an  Occidental. 
From  the  twenty-four  examples  of  Filial  Piety  we  se- 
lect two : — "  A  boy  served  his  mother  obediently.  One 
day,  while  he  was  away  on  the  hills  gathering  fire- 
wood, some  guests  unexpectedly  arrive  at  the  house. 
His  mother  is  much  embarrassed,  and  in  her  longing 
for  her  son's  return  bites  her  finger.  On  the  instant  her 
absent  son  feels  a  twinge  of  pain,  and,  divining  trouble, 
starts  for  home,  arriving  in  time  to  help  his  mother  to 
properly  receive  the  guests.  The  native  comment  is, 
'  Behold  how  perfect  a  medium  between  mother  and 
child  is  filial  piety ! '  This  is  a  very  ancient  example 
of  telepathy.  It  is  said  that  this  boy  was  afterwards 
Tsen  Tzu,  the  famous  disciple  of  Confucius." 

"  Another  lad's  step-mother  was  always  accusing 
him  to  his  father  of  want  of  filial  love,  so  he  determined 
to  give  a  heroic  proof  of  his  sincerity  and  virtue.  He 
resolved  to  melt  her  heart  by  gratifying  her  palate.  In 
mid-winter  he  went  to  the  ice-bound  river  to  fish  for 
carp;  but  failing  to  break  a  hole,  our  hero,  nothing 
daunted,  pulled  off  his  garments  and  proceeded  to  melt 
a  hole  with  the  warmth  of  his  naked  body.  In  a 
miraculously  short  time  the  ice  melted,  and  out  leaped 
two  large  carp.  These  he  joyfully  carried  to  his  step- 
mother, who,  on  learning  the  facts,  repented  of  her 
evil  deeds.  A  poet  has  said :  '  A  thousand  ages  cannot 
efface  the  remembrance  of  the  crack  in  the  ice,  nor 
obliterate  the  fragment  traces  of  so  worthy  an  action/  ' 

On  life-saving  the  Chinese  have  curious  notions. 
While  eating  cakes  cooked  in  lamp  oil  in  a  tea  house 
in  Chintan  village,  the  skipper  of  the  Red  Boat  came 


84  THE  STARS  AND  STRIPES 

in  and  I  asked  him  certain  questions  about  the  pagoda 
for  destitute  souls.  He  told  me  that  for  the  recovery 
of  a  dead  body  from  the  water,  a  reward  of  eight  hun- 
dred cash  is  given  by  the  Emperor.  It  used  to  be  eight 
hundred  cash  for  saving  a  live  man  and  four  hundred 
for  a  dead  one.  But  it  was  soon  discovered  that  this 
did  not  pay,  so  it  was  reversed,  and  now  four  hundred 
cash  are  given  to  save  a  live  man  and  eight  hundred  to 
recover  a  dead  one.  This  allows  four  hundred  cash 
to  bury  the  man  if  he  dies  after  being  taken  out  of  the 
water.  This  interesting  fact  was  further  explained  to 
me  by  another  of  the  Red  Boat  men — that  the  dead 
man  involves  funeral  expenses  and  the  live  man  none! 
This  is  good  Celestial  reasoning.  It  would  be  more 
profitable  to  drown  a  man  before  pulling  him  out.  I 
found  out  afterwards  that  the  reward  of  four  hundred 
cash  is  given  provided  the  rescuer  gets  his  clothes  wet ; 
otherwise  he  gets  but  two  hundred. 

Every  morning  when  the  American  flag  was  flung 
to  the  breeze  over  the  stern  of  the  gunboat,  a  salute  of 
three  guns  would  be  fired,  and  the  skipper  and  his  crew, 
with  myself,  would  cheer;  then  the  skipper  would  al- 
ways turn  round  and  shake  hands-  'with  me.  The 
stripes  in  the  flag  were  not  of  the  same  width,  nor  were 
the  proportions  right,  but  from  a  distance  it  looked 
exactly  like  the  Grand  Old  Flag  of  my  native  country. 
I  felt  proud.  I  doubted  if  ever  before  in  the  history  of 
the  Empire  had  a  native  gunboat  passed  these  gorges 
and  rapids  flying  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

We  had  passed  the  landscape  of  triangles,  and  were 
now  in  sight  of  the  wonderful  "  Wild  Rapids." 


I  heard  it "  not  as  good  as  "  I  saw  it" 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  WEALTH  AND  INDUSTRIES  OF  SZECHUEN — 
WAN — A  VICEROY'S  OPINION   OF  OPIUM — BOXER 

TROUBLES A      MARRIAGE      BREAKFAST FLOODS 

AND     FIRES CHINESE     CREDULITY CHINESE 

CULTURE  AND  CHRISTIANITY. 

'HE  wealthiest  and  unquestionably 
the  most  important  city  between 
Ichang  and  Chungking  is  Wan. 
The  wealth  of  Szechuen,  which  has 
been  more  and  more  evident  along 
the  journey,  here  culminates  in  a 
rich  and  populous  centre.  The 
cash  (and  obverse.)  Great  East  Road  leaving  here 
passes  through  the  richest  part  of 
China  on  its  course  to  the  capital,  Chentu,  where 
dwells  the  Viceroy  of  the  Province.  "  Wan  "  means 
ten  thousand,  and  is  the  name  of  both  country  and  city, 
but  the  population  of  the  latter  has  grown  to  two  hun- 
dred thousand.  No  foreigners,  however,  live  here  ex- 
cept the  missionaries,  of  whom  there  are  three;  but  the 
city  will  be  an  open  port  next  year,  and  then  the  saying 
that  "  Missionaries  precede  the  merchant "  will  be 
verified.  The  houses  in  the  suburbs  are  straggling, 
but  not  above  a  tenth  of  the  people  live  inside  the  walls. 
As  I  entered  the  city  at  night,  four  small  boy  beggars 
were  sleeping  by  the  gate.  The  poor  little  brats  had 


86  A  PONS  ASINORUM 

scraped  away  the  ashes  from  the  fires  lighted  during 
the  day,  and  lay  curled  up  on  the  warm  spots  where 
some  heat  still  remained.  And  there  they  slept  during 
the  chilly  night.  Once  inside  the  city,  I  started  as 
straight  as  possible  for  the  China  Inland  Mission 
House.  Here  a  warm  welcome  was  given  me  by  the 
earnest  missionaries,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  C.  Taylor.  The 
house  is  new  and  finely  adapted  for  mission  work, 
fronting  on  the  busy  street  with  a  good  view  of  the  city 
at  the  back.  It  was  built  by  an  Australian  and  con- 
tains a  guest  room  for  the  Chinese,  which  is  open  all 
the  day  and  in  the  evenings.  Here  the  Gospel  is  zeal- 
ously and  faithfully  preached  by  the  hospitable  inmates. 
The  river  front  is  fully  two  miles  long,  and  is  inter- 
sected by  a  small  tributary  which  falls  into  the  Yangtze. 
Along  the  banks  of  this  river  runs  the  principal  street. 
There  is  a  remarkable  arched  stone  bridge  across  this 
stream  about  twenty  feet  wide,  which  suggests  the 
Pons  Asinorum  rather  than  an  illustration  of  Celestial 
astuteness.  The  architect  made  no  allowance  for 
freshets,  and  when  the  river  lis  up  he  must  wade. 
According  to  Chinese  ideas,  this  city  is  most  favourably 
located.  To  the  north,  which  is  known  as  the  region 
of  darkness,  towers  the  Heaven  Made  Fortress,  which 
wards  off  evil  influences;  to  the  South  lies  the  region 
of  warmth.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  Great  River, 
a  low  line  of  hills  forms  a  suitable  site  for  pagodas  to 
waft  good  luck  and  prosperity  to  the  merchants  of 
Wan.  These  two  influences,  called  the  Ying  and  the 
Yang,  or  male  and  female,  are  said  to  be  the  source  of 
all  things,  Ying  Yang  Sheng  Wan  Wu.  In  the  native 
mind  the  favourable  conjunction  of  these  two  elements 
accounts  for  the  wealth  of  Wan. 

"  And  so  these  twain,  upon  the  skirts  of  Time, 

Sit  side  by  side,  full  summ'd  in  all  their  powers, 

Dispensing  harvest." — The  Princess. 


EDIBLE  WOOL  SKEINS  87 

A  huge  stone  dragon  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  who 
condescends  to  show  his  head  only  when  the  water  is 
low,  contributes  also  to  the  good  luck  of  the  place. 
Not  only  is  there  extensive  local  business  in  the  city 
itself,  but  Wan  also  taps  the  trade  of  both  Eastern  and 
Northern  Szechuen,  which  comes  into  the  city  by  the 
Great"  East  Road,  and  which  consists  largely  of  silk 
and  salt.  The  salt  from  Nan  Pu  (a  ten  days'  journey) 
is  obtained  from  wells  a  thousand  feet  deep.  The 
Sisyphean  task  of  drilling  these  wells  is  done  by  hand, 
and  it  takes  years  to  complete  one  well.  The  brine  is 
brought  to  the  surface  in  long,  narrow  sections  of  the 
bamboo,  hundreds  of  which  are  fastened  together  and 
let  down.  Each  of  these  has  a  valve  in  the  bottom 
which  lets  the  water  in.  When  drawn  up,  the  valve 
closes  and  the  brine  is  retained.  The  hauling  up  is 
done  by  a  windlass  worked  by  men;  but  where  the 
well  is  very  deep  a  perpendicular  drum  like  a  huge 
capstan,  worked  by  ox  power,  is  put  into  requisition. 
These  devices,  however  primitive  and  clumsy,  are 
quaint  and  interesting.  In  producing  salt,  the  fuel 
used  for  fires  in  the  evaporating  process  is  the  greatest 
expense. 

Edible  wool  skeins  are  an  important  product  that 
has  figured  largely  in  my  commissariat  since  leaving 
for  Chungking.  It  is  called  Mien  in  Chinese,  and  con- 
sists of  dough  strings  rolled  out  most  cleverly  into 
strips  which  look  like  a  skein  of  unwashed  wool.  By 
means  of  a  very  simple  contrivance,  these  strips  are 
further  elongated  to  the  required  length,  when  they  are 
cut  off  into  convenient  parcels  for  sale.  Age  improves 
them.  I  purchased  six  catties  (eight  pounds)  for  con- 
sumption en  route.  What  the  poor  man  throws  away, 
the  rich  man  puts  in  his  pocket.  The  Chinaman  im- 
merses the  dead  chicken  into  scalding  water  before 


88        THE  INDUSTRIES  OF  SZECHUEN 

plucking  off  the  feathers,  a  process  which  makes  the 
work  easier  and  the  meat  tougher.  Foreigners  prefer 
their  chicken  tender  and  the  feathers  dry,  even  if  the 
result  does  entail  more  work,  and  John  has  been 
brought  to  recognise  the  advantage  of  the  barbarian 
method.  Hundreds  of  tons  of  feathers  have  been 
shipped  by  the  Chinese  to  the  coast.  The  head  feathers 
of  the  stork,  so  plentiful  in  this  region,  have  recently 
brought  the  enormous  price  of  twenty  ounces  of  silver 
for  one  of  the  feathers.  A  few  years  ago  these  were 
useless  and  worthless,  but  now  these  fowl  disappear 
so  fast  that  the  local  Mandarins  have  issued  procla- 
mations forbidding  the  killing  of  storks.  The  business 
is  so  profitable,  however,  that  the  hunters  run  the  risk, 
at  whatever  cost,  and  the  observance  of  the  official 
prohibition  excites  little  competition.  Paper  making 
is  another  industry  of  Szechuen,  and  I  have  seen  fifty 
coolies  in  a  line,  each  carrying  waste  bamboo  to  the 
mills  to  be  manufactured  into  pulp.  They  are  sup- 
posed to  carry  one  hundred  English  pounds  over 
thirty  miles  per  diem.  Coal  and  iron  abound  in  the 
hinterland,  clear  up  into  the  Provinces  of  Kansuh  and 
Shensi.  The  output  of  sulphur  is  considerable  in  parts 
of  the  Province,  but  local  taxation  has  killed  the  goose 
which  laid  the  golden  egg.  Although  I  became  partly 
initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  Chinese  taels  (not  pig 
tails,  but  other  taels),  I  could  never  tell  what  a 
'  Ting  "  or  anything  else  was  worth.  This  inability 
to  size  up  my  wealth  gave  me  a  kindred  feeling  to  the 
multi-millionaire. 

The  foreign  imports  amount  to  little  when  compared 
with  the  local  products,  but,  when  walking  along  the 
street,  one  sees  Manchester  calico  and  cotton  yarn  ex- 
hibited for  sale  in  the  shops.  The  middle  and  upper 
classes  will  not  wear  the  blue  gown  in  which  the  com- 


TAKING  A  MEAL,  EARLY  RICE. 


HO   GIRLS:   UPPER  YANGTZE. 


POLHILL 

THREE  NOTED  MISSIONARIES. 


THE  WICKEDNESS  OF  WAN  89 

mon  herd  is  arrayed,  so  they  choose  garments  of 
various  other  colours.  The  cloth  shops  in  consequence 
exhibit  the  hues  of  Joseph's  coat.  In  other  shops  I 
saw  clocks,  candles  and  soap,  but  most  frequently 
FOREIGN  FIRE.  This  is  the  name  by  which  matches  are 
known.  The  native-made  are  of  very  poor  materials. 
Since  the  advent  of  Europeans  the  Chinese  have 
learned  how  to  make  friction  matches — in  a  matri- 
monial sense  they  knew  before — but  their  foreign  fire 
is  very  inferior,  and  the  Japanese  product  is  out-dis- 
tancing the  local  trade. 

As  regards  the  alleged  wickedness  of  Wan  I  shall 
not  deal  at  length.  The  most  conspicuous  is  perhaps 
the  consumption  of  FOREIGN  SMOKE  or  FOREIGN  MEDI- 
CINE, the  Chinese  names  for  what  we  call  opium.  I 
suppose  more  than  one-half  of  the  population  are  vic- 
tims of  it,  more  or  less.  The  natives  say  that  eleven 
out  of  ten  smoke!  Some  travellers  attempt  to  gloss 
over  its  pernicious  effects,  and  say  that  the  universal 
testimony  of  missionaries  is  prejudiced.  But  let  us 
take  the  opinion  of  the  Viceroy  Chang  Chih-tung,  who 
ought  to  know.  He  says : — 

'  The  Customs  Returns  for  the  past  few  years  give 
the  value  of  our  imports  at  eighty  millions  of  taels. 
The  balance  of  thirty  million  taels  represents  what 
has  been  consumed  in  smoking  the  pernicious  opium 
pipe!  Assuredly  it  is  not  foreign  intercourse  that  is 
ruining  China,  but  this  dreadful  poison.  Oh,  the  grief 
and  desolation  it  has  wrought  to  our  people!  A 
hundred  years  ago  the  curse  came  upon  us  more  blast- 
ing and  deadly  in  its  effects  than  the  Great  Flood  or  the 
scourge  of  the  Fierce  Beasts,  for  the  waters  assuaged 
after  nine  years,  and  the  ravages  of  the  maneaters 
were  confined  to  one  place.  Opium  has  spread  with 
frightful  rapidity  and  heart-rending  results  through 


90  THE  CURSE  OF  OPIUM 

the  provinces.  Millions  upon  millions  have  been 
struck  down  by  the  plague.  To-day  it  is  running  like 
wildfire.  In  its  swift,  deadly  course  it  is  spreading 
devastation  everywhere,  wrecking  the  minds  and  eating 
away  the  strength  and  wealth  of  its  victims.  The 
ruin  of  the  mind  is  the  most  woeful  of  its  many  dele- 
terious effects.  The  poison  enfeebles  the  will,  saps 
the  strength  of  the  body,  renders  the  consumer  in- 
capable of  performing  the  regular  duties,  and  unfit  for 
travel  from  one  place  to  another.  It  consumes  his 
substance  and  reduces  the  miserable  wretch  to  poverty, 
barrenness  and  senility.  Unless  something  is  soon 
done  to  arrest  this  awful  scourge  in  its  devastating 
march,  the  Chinese  people  will  be  transformed  into 
satyrs  and  devils.  This  is  the  present  condition  of 
our  country."  .  .  .  .  "  The  habit  of  smoking 
opium  is  generated  by  sloth,  and  sloth  by  the  want  of 
employment.  This  want  springs  from  ignorance,  and 
ignorance  from  having  no  desirable  object  of  knowl- 
edge." "  Among  the  Chinese,  then, 
there  is  no  incentive  to  thought  or  action,  no  inter- 
course among  the  people,  and  the  condition  of  things 
has  become  stagnant  and  effete.  Effeteness  has  be- 
gotten stupidity,  and  stupidity,  lethargy;  lethargy 
has  produced  idleness,  and  idleness,  waste."  .  .  . 
"  A  renaissance  of  learning  would  save  the  world 
(China)  by  directing  attention  from  opium  to  more 
worthy  objects.  All  classes,  the  rich  and  the  poor, 
in  city  and  country,  would  have  something  desirable 
to  learn."  .  .  .  .  "  With  such  attractive  objects 
of  knowledge  held  out  to  our  people,  such  as  the  study 
of  the  heavens  and  the  earth  and  all  therein,  under 
modern  appliances,  who  would  elect  to  change  the 
day  into  night  (as  the  wretched  opium-smoker  does) 
and  spend  his  w7hole  life  on  a  divan,  by  a  lamp,  sucking 


A  BENEFICIAL  DROUGHT  91 

a  filthy  opium  pipe?"  .  .  .  "Therefore,  we  say, 
bring  learning  to  the  front  in  order  to  remedy  the 
opium  evil ! " 

In  the  district  the  "  regal  red  poppy  "  is  extensively 
cultivated.  It  occupies  the  best  land  nourished  with  the 
richest  fertilizer,  and  is  tended  with  the  greatest  care. 
In  the  spring  it  is  beautiful  to  the  eye,  and  one  could 
hardly  believe  that  such  a  lovely  flower  could  produce 
such  devastating  results.  In  nineteen  hundred  and  two 
there  was  a  drought  which  lasted  nearly  two  months. 
The  heat  was  intense,  and  the  thermometer  sometimes 
registered  one  hundred  and  ten  in  the  shade.  The 
season's  crop  of  rice  failed.  The  next  year  rice  was 
dear  in  consequence.  But  it  is  a  poor  wind  that  does 
not  blow  something  somewhere  (as  the  farmer  said, 
forgetting  the  actual  wording  of  the  famous  proverb), 
for  the  droughts  also  dried  up  the  poppies.  As  a  result 
the  price  of  opium  leaped  from  one  hundred  and  fifty 
cash  an  ounce  to  five  hundred,  thus  putting  the  poison 
out  of  the  reach  of  the  ordinary  consumer,  and  so 
proportionately  decreasing  the  sale.  The  drought  did 
more  to  stop  the  practice  of  opium  smoking  than  the 
remedies  usually  given  to  allay  the  desire  for  the 
drug.  "  How  poor  an  instrument  may  do  a  noble 
deed !  "  One  of  the  boatmen,  who  wore  a  white  tur- 
ban, kept  a  queer-looking  lump  on  a  stick  of  bamboo 
hanging  beside  my  bed.  This  curious  compound,  re- 
sembling a  ball  of  mixed  clay,  ginger,  and  chewed 
tobacco  cuds,  he  used  to  nibble  from  time  to  time.  It 
seemed  that  he  smoked  for  five  years  and  took  this 
stuff  in  order  to  break  off  the  habit.  He  told  me  that 
a  Christian  gave  it  to  him  in  his  native  city  of  Suifu. 
Opium  smokers  generally  say  they  acquired  the  habit 
in  trying  to  mitigate  the  pain  of  some  sickness;  but 
they  testify  that,  once  fixed,  the  remedy  is  worse  than 


92  THE  WICKED  BOXER 

the  disease.  The  Old  Man  of  the  Sea  was  not  harder 
to  throw  off.  Many  desire  to  get  rid  of  the  craving, 
as  it  is  not  only  painful,  but  inconvenient  and  ex- 
pensive. Unfortunately  a  very  close  relation  exists  in 
the  mind  of  the  Chinese  between  Foreign  Smoke  and 
Foreign  Devil. 

One  prosperous  business  man,  having  been  cured  in 
Taylor's  Opium  Refuge,  presented  valuable  scrolls  on 
leaving.  He  said  that  he  had  heretofore  always  de- 
spised the  Gospel,  but  since  staying  in  the  house  he  felt 
sure  that  Christ  is  the  real  Lord.  The  native  church 
in  Wan  numbers  forty  members.  Many  of  them  stand 
high  in  the  community,  being  men  of  learning,  or 
merchants  in  comfortable  circumstances,  who  close 
their  shops  on  Sunday.  The  missionary  in  charge  is 
himself  a  converted  business  man. 

Though  the  city  remains  the  same,  the  attitude  of 
the  inhabitants  towards  Christianity  has  undergone  a 
great  change.  The  missionary  who  came  here  first 
was  turned  out  of  his  preaching  place  by  beggars  being 
turned  in.  This  was  some  time  ago.  Now  the  mission 
has  a  good  property  and  an  important  religious  work 
is  in  progress,  which  is,  moreover,  furthered  by  well- 
to-do  Chinese,  who  offer  houses  as  gifts  for  the  Gospel 
work.  Five  neighbouring  market  towns  are  now 
earnestly  asking  for  Christian  teachers.  They  promise 
to  bear  all  expenses  connected  with  the  work.  So  true 
are  the  words  of  Aubrey  Moore,  "Human  nature 
craves  to  be  both  religious  and  rational.  And  the  life 
which  is  not  both  is  neither." 

The  surrounding  district  has  been  practically  undis- 
turbed by  Boxers  till  quite  recently,  when  there  was  a 
slight  outbreak.  In  the  tenth  Moon  a  missionary  was 
held  up  by  these  foot-pads  at  Nan-Men-Chen,  South- 
Gate-Market.  He  was  surrounded  and  seized,  and  for 


TIED  PIGTAILS  93 

three  days  he  was  kept  in  custody  while  arrangements 
were  being  made  for  his  execution.  But  before  their 
preparations  were  completed,  two  hundred  soldiers 
were  hurried  to  the  place  by  the  officials,  and  the  red- 
turbaned  cowards  took  to  their  heels.  Since  then  the 
missionary  is  always  accompanied  by  a  body  guard. 
It  is  said  that  just  outside  the  city  a  Boxer  dug  out  the 
eye  of  a  man  and  carried  it  around  in  his  pocket  as  a 
proof  of  the  valorous  deed.  There  was  unrest  still  in 
the  neighborhood,  although  I  was  treated  most  respect- 
fully in  my  ramblings  about  the  city. 

It  is  a  peculiar  sight  and  not  at  all  an  uncommon 
one  to  see  two  men  walking  along  the  street  with  their 
pigtails  tied  together.  They  have  had  a  dispute, 
neither  will  give  way,  and  each  is  prepared  to  swear 
that  he  is  in  the  right ;  so  they  are  going  to  the  temple 
to  take  oaths  before  the  devil  to  that  effect.  Some- 
times the  man  who  is  really  in  the  wrong  backs  down 
before  the  temple  is  reached,  but  generally  he  brazens 
it  out.  Lying  and  perjury  are  the  characteristics  of 
all  heathen  religions. 

In  Wan  I  was  present  at  a  ceremony  more  pleasant 
than  the  tying  of  the  pigtail.  This  was  a  breakfast 
feast  to  celebrate  the  marriage  engagement  of  two 
young  Celestials.  The  betrothal  in  China  is  quite  as 
binding  as  the  marriage.  The  feast  was  held  on  the 
eighth  Sun  of  the  last  Moon  of  the  Old  Tiger,  in  the 
reception  room  of  the  China  Inland  Mission.  The  floor 
of  the  room  was  concrete,  and  in  this  respect  it  was 
appropriate  to  the  purpose  of  the  breakfast.  The 
guests  sat  round  two  heavy  square  tables  spread  with 
all  sorts  of  good  things.  I  was  offered  the  seat  at  the 
left-hand  top-side  of  the  table,  i.e.,  furthest  from  the 
door.  Being  unaccustomed  to  the  niceties  of  Chinese 
etiquette,  I  sat  down  immediately.  I  saw  my  mistake 


94  A  MARRIAGE  BREAKFAST 

when  I  found  myself  sitting  alone,  for  it  was  quite  a 
while  before  the  others  were  settled.  The  general  ex- 
pression for  taking  a  meal  is  to  "  open  the  rice,"  and 
I,  being  the  top-side  guest,  was  responsible  for  "  break- 
ing the  dishes,"  as  the  host  was  running  round  in  a 
ceremonious  way,  shaking  hands  with  himself.  It  was 
my  duty  at  each  course  to  "  break  the  dish  "  in  the 
centre  of  the  table,  and  the  contents  would  find  their 
way  to  smaller  receptacles  at  the  edges  of  the  table 
where  the  guests  sat,  and  thence  to  the  waiters,  who 
took  care  to  remove  them  before  they  were  empty. 
These  dishes  would  be  attacked  in  rotation,  and, 
naturally,  I  made  some  blunders,  getting  goat  instead 
of  swine,  for  instance.  But  the  result  was  the  same, 
as  there  is,  after  all,  only  one  compartment  inside. 
Smooth  sides  of  pork  looked  like  a  solid  mass  until 
touched  by  my  magic  wand,  i.e.,  the  chop-sticks,  when 
they  fell  into  beautifully  cut  slices.  The  food  was 
largely  composed  of  pig,  and  the  guests  were  almost 
all  pigtailed,  so  that  about  this  festive  board  "  Greek 
met  Greek,"  and  the  pigtail  came  out  on  top.  I  was  in 
a  hurry,  so  that  I  had  to  leave  before  the  function 
terminated,  but  I  understand  that  though  they  may  all 
"  eat  the  foreigner's  doctrine,"  they  do  not  habitually 
"  eat  the  foreigner's  rice." 

One  of  the  guests  at  the  feast  was  Mr.  "  Prosperous- 
Man-of-the- World,"  who,  though  no  longer  a  man  of 
the  world,  was  still  prosperous,  having  made  money  in 
the  salt  trade.  He  was  converted  when  thirty-five  years 
of  age,  and  his  father  was  so  angry  that  he  compelled 
the  son  to  walk  through  the  main  streets  of  the  city 
with  a  board  on  his  back  bearing  a  notice  that  he  was  a 
Christian,  and  that  for  this  reason  his  parent  disowned 
him,  and  would  not  be  responsible  for  him  in  any  way. 
When  I  asked  him  how  he  felt  when  carrying  the 


THE  FAMOUS  BRIDGE  OF  WAN. 
ALL  THE  WORK  ON  THIS  PHOTOGRAPH  WAS  DONE  BY  TAYLOR'S  "SHADOW." 


INTERIOR  VIEW  OF  THE  CHURCH  OF  WAN,  WHERE  TAYLOR  PREACHES. 

xxxi 


AN  AMIABLE  CHAPERON  95 

board,  he  said  that  he  did  it  for  the  Lord,  and  that  his 
heart  had  peace  all  the  time.  He  was  a  true  believer, 
and  kept  his  shop  closed  on  Sunday,  a  day  of  which  as 
a  nation  China  knows  little  as  yet. 

Second,  on  my  right,  sat  Mr.  Chang,  who  kept  an 
inn  in  the  busiest  street  of  the  city.  I  passed  it  when 
hurrying  up  from  my  boat,  and  was  dragged  in,  ac- 
cording to  true  Celestial  fashion,  to  drink  tea  and  eat 
dried  fruits  and  sweetmeats,  the  like  of  which  would 
have  done  credit  to  any  table  in  Philadelphia.  No  in- 
toxicants were  sold  at  this  Inn. 

Another  guest  at  my  table  was  Mr.  Taylor's  assist- 
ant, or  "  Shadow,"  as  he  is  generally  styled,  who  has 
been  with  him  since  leaving  the  mission  school  six  years 
ago.  He  was  a  good  amateur  photographer,  as  some 
specimens  of  his  work  in  my  possession  bear  witness. 

Early  one  morning,  after  standing  at  the  front  of 
the  mission  house  watching  the  preparation  for  the 
departure  of  Polhill  and  his  caravan  for  Hsuting  Fu, 
I  decided  to  stroll  along  the  public  street.  Passing 
through  the  reception  room  which,  as  already  men- 
tioned, is  open  all  day,  I  saw  an  unusually  intelligent- 
looking  Chinaman.  He  smiled  attractively  when  I 
said,  "  Well,  is  this  where  you  receive  them  ?  "  and  re- 
plied in  English,  "  Good  day."  He  then  kindly  volun- 
teered to  pilot  us  through  the  street.  I  accepted  this 
offer,  and,  as  we  went  along,  he  kept  repeating,  "  Sin, 
sin."  This  was  a  very  general  remark,  but  as  I  felt 
sure  there  was  plenty  of  it  around,  I  nodded  assent 
every  time.  I  found,  however,  that  he  referred  to  the 
sun.  After  walking  several  blocks  with  a  well-behaved 
but  curious  crowd  at  our  heels,  I  came  to  a  drove  of 
small  black  pigs,  so  I  pointed  to  the  little  herd  wiggling 
their  tails  and  rooting  for  a  living,  and  said,  "  Pig." 
Very  much  to  my  amusement,  a  ragged  urchin  close  to 


96  FLOODS  AND  FIRES 

my  heels  repeated  the  word,  and  those  behind  took  it 
up  until  all  about  me  in  the  crowd  I  heard  "  Pig,  pig, 

pig,  Pig,  pig,  pig-" 

My  kind  chaperon,  who  turned  out  to  be  the  Evan- 
gelist of  Wan,  was  a  man  of  great  mental  strength,  and 
had  passed  his  preliminary  examination  well  up  on  the 
list.  He  first  heard  the  Gospel  in  Hankow,  and  soon 
afterwards  removed  to  Wan.  Six  years  ago,  he  was 
engaged  in  teaching  Chinese  to  one  of  the  missionaries. 
In  spite  of  his  Confucian  training,  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  story  of  Christ  which  they  were  reading 
together,  and  as  the  narrative  approached  the  climax 
of  Calvary,  he  became  absorbed.  During  the  absence 
of  his  pupil  for  a  few  moments  one  morning,  he  read 
all  about  the  Crucifixion,  and  when  she  returned,  she 
found  him  with  his  head  bowed,  silently  weeping.  He 
declared  that  henceforth  he  would  be  a  follower  of  the 
Christ  who  died  for  the  world.  He  held  a  meeting  of 
his  Confucian  friends  and  publicly  burned  his  family 
gods.  Though  persecuted  by  his  fellow-countrymen 
and  disowned  by  the  Literati,  he  remains  true  to  his 
faith.  His  life  motto  is,  "  Fear  not,"  and  during  the 
Boxer  trouble  of  nineteen  hundred  he  travelled  more 
than  one  thousand  li,  at  his  own  expense,  to  visit  some 
distant  out-stations  to  help  and  encourage  the  Chris- 
tians. When  the  missionaries  were  fleeing  to  the  coast, 
he  went  out  to  greet  them,  and  from  the  time  of  his 
conversion  until  now,  Mr.  Chow  has  fearlessly  iden- 
tified himself  with  the  Christian  cause. 

Like  all  the  cities  on  the  Yangtze,  Wan  is  subject 
to  very  severe  periodical  floods,  and  so  great  is  the 
rise  at  such  times  that  places  from  which  the  river,  in 
its  normal  state,  cannot  even  be  seen,  are  inundated. 
When  the  people  are  warned  that  a  flood  is  imminent, 
they  take  their  goods  to  houses  along  the  higher  streets 


A  NEW  FIRE  EXTINGUISHER  97 

of  the  city,  and  remove  large  pieces  of  the  tile  roofing 
to  form  blow  holes  for  the  breathing  of  the  infuriated 
dragon.  The  work  of  removing  the  sediment  left  after 
the  water  subsides  is  a  labour  of  many  days.  There 
have  been  many  fires  in  this  year  of  Old  Tiger.  The 
great  Chicago  conflagration  is  said  to  have  been  caused 
by  a  cow  putting  her  tail  into  a  drum  of  coal  oil  and 
whisking  it  into  a  convenient  lamp.  The  great  fire  of 
the  fifth  Moon  in  Wan  was  caused  by  a  careless  native 
who  stuck  a  lighted  taper  into  the  bamboo  partition  of 
a  small  house  outside  the  South  Gate  of  the  city.  The 
Chinese  usually  do  this  without  damage,  but  in  this 
case  the  flame  burned  down  the  taper  and  stick  to  the 
wood,  which  readily  ignited,  and  soon  the  whole  house 
was  on  fire.  The  flames  spread  from  house  to  house, 
leapt  to  the  buildings  on  the  city  wall,  and  thence 
caught  the  buildings  inside.  The  fire  started  at  ten 
in  the  evening  and  soon  threatened  the  whole  city, 
which  would  have  been  consumed  had  not  the  authori- 
ties employed  the  usual  method  of  tearing  down  blocks 
of  houses  in  the  path  of  the  fire.  This  proceeding  was 
effectual,  though  expensive.  Fortunately,  no  lives 
were  lost,  but  the  conflagration  was  not  subdued  until 
the  dawn  of  the  following  day,  after  three  hundred 
houses  had  been  burned,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty 
more  pulled  down.  This  fire  was  followed  a  few  days 
afterwards  by  a  second,  which  was  occasioned  by  a 
child  playing  with  a  firebrand  in  a  powder  factory. 
As  might  have  been  expected,  the  game  was  adjourned 
sine  die.  The  powder  went  off  and  took  the  child  with 
it,  and  the  pyrotechnic  display  which  followed  de- 
stroyed hundreds  of  houses. 

After  these  calamities,  the  Mandarin  issued  a  pro- 
clamation instructing  the  people  how  to  stop  the  next 
one.  They  were  gravely  enjoined,  with  the  circumlo- 

G 


98  A  WILY  MANDARIN 

cution  of  the  Celestial,  in  case  of  fire  to  climb  the  roof 
of  the  house,  smash  six  eggs,  and  throw  a  handful  of 
rice  into  the  flames.  When  the  Mandarin  was  asked 
whether  he  really  thought  that  such  antics  would  do 
any  good,  he  said,  "  No,  but  we  must  do  these  things 
to  satisfy  the  people  and  show  them  that  we  are 
earnestly  seeking  their  welfare."  In  fact,  a  very  large 
proportion  of  Celestial  observances  are  designed  solely 
ad  captandum  vulgus.  When  ordinary  means  fail  to 
stop  the  progress  of  a  fire,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Man- 
darin to  sacrifice  himself  for  the  good  of  his  people  by 
flinging  himself  into  the  flames  to  appease  the  appetite 
of  the  Fire  God.  The  wily  Celestial,  to  save  his  skin, 
does  this  by  proxy ;  he  throws  in  his  dress,  his  hat,  and 
his  boots.  Sacrifice  of  this  kind  is  not  limited  to  the 
Chinese. 

In  the  early  stages  of  the  drought  before  mentioned, 
a  proclamation  was  put  forth  that  all  people  must  ab- 
stain from  meat.  Pig  shops  were  shut,  and  the  coun- 
try people  who  brought  poultry  to  the  city  were  se- 
verely punished.  But  the  Mandarin  can  appoint  a  day 
on  which  the  restriction  shall  be  removed  in  case  his 
patience  becomes  exhausted,  or  his  stomach  surfeited 
with  vegetables.  Occasionally,  too,  another  official 
bigger  than  himself  passed  through,  and  how  could  he 
be  entertained  without  the  harmless,  necessary  hog? 
Sometimes,  to  break  the  drought,  the  Mandarin  travels 
to  some  distant  cave  and  brings  back  to  the  city  a 
bottle  of  magic  water  from  the  Dragon's  abode.  After 
this  pilgrimage,  the  specific  may  do  for  several  later 
occasions.  Old  disused  wells  have  criminals'  collars 
placed  at  the  mouths  to  catch  the  devils  who  are  sup- 
posed to  live  there,  and  to  whose  malign  influence  the 
drought  is  supposed  to  be  due.  Attached  to  the 
collar  is  a  piece  of  paper,  on  which  is  written  the 


RIOT  AND  ROBBERY  99 

grievance  against  the  devil.  This  proceeding  is 
conducted  on  the  sub-lunary  plan  of  dealing  with 
evil-doers. 

Another  practice  is  to  dress  up  a  black  dog  as  a 
woman,  hire  a  chair  with  four  bearers,  and  parade 
him  through  the  streets.  As  a  last  resort,  the  Man- 
darins themselves  load  themselves  up  with  chains  and 
walk  to  the  temple  to  confess  their  sins,  at  least  in 
outward  form.  One  Mandarin  was  wiser  than  the 
rest,  and  reasoned  thus  with  himself :  "  I  am  only  a 
small  god  to  these  people;  let  us  start  at  the  big  end 
of  the  line."  So  he  brought  out  the  Dragon  King 
from  the  temple,  sat  beside  him  in  the  open  court  of 
his  Yamen,  and  carried  on  a  conversation  with  him 
about  the  weather.  After  a  while,  the  Mandarin 
went  inside  the  Yamen,  leaving  the  Dragon  King  in 
the  sun  till  the  paint  on  his  royal  person  was  all 
blistered. 

Another  remedy  for  the  drought  is  to  get  some  man 
to  personate  the  Water  Dragon,  and  then  run  the 
gauntlet  of  slop  buckets.  The  nauseous  things  con- 
tained in  the  water  thrown  over  this  personification  can 
never  be  imagined  by  a  European,  for  a  Chinaman  is 
never  over-particular  about  cleanliness. 

It  would  appear  that  the  presence  of  foreigners  and 
the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  are  not  the  only  causes  of 
riots.  I  understand  that  wealth  is  a  greater  incentive 
to  the  rabble.  The  city  of  Wan  contains  much  money, 
and  being  only  a  county  seat,  there  are  not  many 
soldiers  to  guard  it.  I  was  told  by  an  eye-witness  of 
the  occurrence  that  during  one  of  the  local  outbreaks 
a  plot  was  laid  by  a  number  of  men  to  rise  and  plunder 
the  city  at  midnight.  At  a  given  signal  of  three  mid^ 
night  guns,  a  body  of  armed  men  were  to  seize  the 
authorities.  By  fortunate  mishap,  the  signal  failed 


ioo  A  MAGIC  SOCK 

in  its  purpose,  and  the  conspirators  were  hoisted  with 
their  own  petard.  The  authorities,  instead  of  being 
taken  themselves,  captured  some  of  the  leaders  of  the 
rebel  gang  in  the  country  round  about.  These  were 
decapitated  and  their  heads  stuck  on  poles  as  a  warn- 
ing to  other  robbers.  It  was  found  that  a  wealthy 
inhabitant  of  Wan  had,  a  few  days  before  the  riot, 
hired  coolies  to  transfer  his  valuables  to  the  "  Heaven 
Born  Fort,"  which  overlooks  the  city.  He  was  accused 
of  being  an  accomplice.  This  charge  he  strenuously 
denied,  but  his  enemies,  not  to  be  outdone,  then  ac- 
cused him  of  a  dereliction  of  public  duty  in  not  ap- 
prising the  authorities  of  the  plot.  He  was  fined 
twenty  thousand  taels.  No  doubt  some  of  this  money 
stuck  to  the  hands  of  the  officials,  but  much  of  it  was 
judiciously  used  in  building  strong  wooden  barriers 
across  the  streets  of  the  city.  These  are  closed  at 
night,  and  a  watchman  is  placed  in  charge. 

Mr.  Montagu  Beauchamp  told  me  that  he  considered 
the  ready  accessibility  of  the  foreigner  to  the  Chinese  of 
the  highest  value  and  that  guest-room  work  should  not 
be  handed  over  to  the  native.  Having  the  opium  pa- 
tients in  the  house,  instead  of  treating  them  as  out- 
patients, is  an  advantage.  When  Paoning  was  first 
opened,  this  was  the  only  way  of  getting  to  know  the 
people.  "  I  am  bound  to  say,"  Beauchamp  states,  "  that 
some  of  the  stories  of  our  cures  were  as  much  exag- 
gerated in  our  favour  as  the  opposite  reports  were 
against  us.  Some  of  the  men  under  treatment  had 
pains  in  the  back,  and  to  relieve  these  I  put  a  large 
worsted  sock  over  my  hand  and  rubbed  the  sufferers. 
This  had  a  good  effect,  and  they  spread  the  report  that 
I  had  a  magic  sock  which  could  cure  anything. 

"  Another  time  I  went  into  a  burning  house  and 
threw  water  on  the  flames,  greatly  to  the  admiration 


xxxiv 


CULTURE  AND  CHRISTIANITY        101 

and  astonishment  of  the  terror-stricken  Chinese,  who 
afterwards  spread  the  news  all  over  the  city  that  fire 
would  not  burn  me.  Some  of  my  opium  patients  gave 
me  an  invitation  to  visit  their  markets,  and  this  led  to 
my  making  tours  from  place  to  place  throughout  the 
district,  and  I  have  been  engaged  in  this  work  for 
fifteen  years,  at  first  with  apparently  little  or  no  suc- 
cess. But  now  there  are  many  places  where  the  people 
are  opening  preaching  halls  spontaneously;  buying, 
renting,  or  repairing  the  buildings  and  asking  for  a 
teacher  to  be  sent. 

"  Some  years  ago,  I  had  a  conversation  with  a 
farmer  who  professed  great  admiration  for  the  Chris- 
tian doctrine,  but  gave  as  his  reason  for  not  joining  us 
that  so  few  of  the  Literati  were  with  us.  He  said  that 
there  must  be  a  flaw  somewhere  which  he  had  not  been 
able  to  discover,  otherwise  why  did  not  the  Emperor 
and  Literati  become  Christians?  Not  very  long  after 
this,  the  Emperor  published  those  remarkable  procla- 
mations in  favour  of  Western  methods  and  learning, 
which  caused  the  conservative  party  to  rise.  This 
culminated  in  the  troubles  of  nineteen  hundred. 

"  The  educated  classes  are  ready  to  acquiesce  in  what 
we  say  about  the  excellence  of  the  Christian  doctrine, 
but  immediately  return  answer  that  it  is  the  same  as 
that  of  their  Sages.  In  my  opinion,  it  is  from  the  lower 
ranks  of  society  that  the  conversion  of  China  must 
come."  But  has  it  not  ever  been  through  those  "be- 
lieving where  they  cannot  prove  "  that  the  knowledge 
has  been  spread  of  "  the  life  that  begins  in  faith,  but 
is  fulfilled  in  love?"  fAp%?j  pev  mart,?  reAoc  ds  aycmr] — 
Ignatius. ) 


ft 


One  only  buys  by  mistake ;  he  never  sells  by  mistake. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


CHINESE     CAPABLE    OF     HURRYING AN     EXCITING 

WALK CHUNGKING THE  UBIQUITOUS  BAMBOO 

A    NATIVE    CONTRACT    FOR    COOLIES MISSIONS    IN 

CHUNGKING ON   THE   ROAD   TO   LUCHOW. 

!E  arrived  at  Luchi,  a  large 
market  town  on  the  Upper 
Yangtze,  at  two-forty-five 
A.M.,  and  drove  a  bamboo 
iron-tipped  punt-stick  through 
our  leaky  prow  into  the  thick 
soil  of  the  foreshore.  The  pig- 
tailed  crew  coiled  up  on  their 
pukai  for  a  few  hours  of  well- 
deserved  sleep.  As  we  were 
off  again  at  six-twenty-five. 
A.M.,  I  was  unable  to  see  much  of  the  place.  Luchi 
stands  rather  open,  part  of  the  town  resting  on  a 
moraine.  The  village,  my  boatmen  say,  is  noted  for 
the  manufacture  of  bamboo  matting,  used  as  boat 
covers,  large  quantities  of  this  article  being  made  here. 
From  Luchi  we  made  good  time  through  a  beautiful 
stretch  of  water  resembling  a  lake.  I  noticed  many 
white  spots  on  the  landscape.  These  proved  to  be 
stones  about  a  foot  in  diameter,  which  had  been 


Sedan  Chair. 


ANCESTRAL  FARMHOUSES  103 

splashed  with  whitewash,  I  was  told,  in  order  to 
frighten  off  the  rabbits  and  protect  the  crops.  As  I 
have  never  seen  a  rabbit  or  hare  in  China,  except  tame 
ones,  this  testimony  rests  entirely  on  the  veracity  of  the 
captain  of  this  boat. 

Leaving  my  secretary  to  come  on  in  the  Old  Tub, 
and  having  made  arrangements  with  a  picked  boat 
crew  and  pullers,  my  interpreter  and  I  got  on  the  Red 
Boat  and  made  tracks  for  Chungking.  I  had  as  fine 
a  crew  as  any  one  could  wish  for.  There  were  only 
five  of  them,  but  they  worked  like  missionaries.  There 
was  also  one  soldier,  who  came  through  from  Wan 
Hsien  with  me,  a  fine,  sturdy  fellow.  We  overtook 
many  junks  going  up  the  river,  which  proved  that  our 
men  were  making  a  record-breaking  trip.  When  rice- 
time  came,  instead  of  stopping  the  boat  in  some  quiet 
little  bay  and  all  taking  an  easy  loll,  only  one  man 
would  go  on  shore;  or  if  rowing  was  practicable,  the 
steersman  would  work  a  solitary  oar,  and  so  we  kept 
moving  all  the  time.  The  boat  did  not  even  stop  to 
take  on  or  let  off  trackers,  who  had  to  leap  on  and  off 
at  a  convenient  place.  This  is  another  proof  of  the 
fact  which  I  have  long  believed  that,  although,  as  a 
rule,  "  he  lazily  and  listlessly  dreams  away  his  time," 
the  Chinaman  can  do  things  as  quickly  as  anyone  else 
when  he  wishes  to  hurry. 

I  have  referred  to  the  farmhouses  of  the  wealthy 
tillers  of  the  soil.  Large  and  conspicuous,  they  occupy 
picturesque  sites  along  the  Great  River.  The  Sacred 
Edict  inculcates  the  duty  of  brothers  dwelling  together 
in  peace,  and  as  the  Emperor  is  said  to  bestow  especial 
honours  on  all  families  who  display  a  spirit  of  amity 
throughout  four  generations,  one  can  imagine  how 
many  Chinese  live  in  these  large  palatial  residences  or 
homesteads. 


104  AN  EXCITING  WALK 

I  stopped  at  the  Customs  Barrier  below  Chungking 
and  found  out  that  the  distance  to  the  city  by  water 
was  about  thirty  li,  but  by  land  not  above  twelve  li. 
My  Red  Boat  men  were  very  tired,  so  I  decided  to  go 
overland,  although  the  night  was  almost  dark.  Mr. 
Lund,  of  the  Customs,  called  two  coolies,  and  lent  me 
a  large  lantern  as  a  send-off.  After  being  rowed  across 
the  river,  we  started  on  the  night  tramp.  We  climbed 
some  hills  and  presently  came  to  a  one-plank  bridge 
across  a  gully,  which  I  failed  to  appreciate,  but  had 
no  option  but  to  cross.  Then  up  terraced  hills,  by  rice 
patches,  and  graveyards,  we  passed  along  a  road  only 
two  feet  wide  and  sometimes  less.  It  was  ticklish 
going,  as  a  false  step  would  mean  perhaps  a  cold  bath 
in  a  rice  field  fertilized  with  human  manure!  The 
tramp  lasted  an  hour  and  a  half,  when  we  finally 
descended  a  steep  stone  stair  to  the  river  bank,  took  a 
sampan  ferry,  and  crossed  over  to  Chungking.  The 
lights  of  three  British  gunboats  moored  in  the  river 
shone  bright,  and  seemed  to  "  flash  and  float  a  friendly 
greeting  o'er."  Then  up  more  steep  stone  steps, 
slippery  this  time,  for  in  this  city  six  thousand  coolies 
gain  a  livelihood  by  carrying  water  from  the  river  to 
the  shops  and  residences  of  the  citizens.  So  we  made 
a  record  trip,  having  come  from  Wan  Hsien  in  six 
days,  a  journey  which  usually  requires  ten. 

We  made  straight  for  the  new  property  of  the  C.I.M., 
and  were  heartily  welcomed  by  Mr.  Willett.  Mr.  Hicks, 
of  the  Bible  Christian  Mission,  was  also  there,  having 
come  one  thousand  six  hundred  li  in  search  of  a  British 
Consul  to  marry  him  to  a  missionary  lady.  Both  have 
command  of  a  liberal  vocabulary  of  Chinese. 

The  Hill  City  of  Chungking  contains  about  three 
hundred  thousand  Chinese,  who  come  from  all  parts  of 
two  or  more  Provinces.  The  city  is  a  centre  of  mis- 


PIGS'  BRISTLES  105 

sionary  activity.  Fifty  missionaries,  including  ladies, 
live  here  and  work  the  outlying  districts  from  this 
point.  They  are  a  band  of  refined  and  cultivated  men 
and  women,  an  honour  to  any  city. 

Sorensen,  a  missionary  to  the  Thibetans,  is  a  Nor- 
wegian, and  speaks  four  languages.  For  seven  years 
he  has  laboured  to  convert  the  savage  tribesmen  on 
the  borders  of  Thibet.  Once  he  crossed  the  border,  but 
found  it  convenient  to  re-cross  in  order  to  avoid 
funeral  expenses.  He  was  in  Chungking  on  his  way  to 
Thibet  when  we  arrived.  Speaking  of  his  proselytising 
efforts,  he  said  to  me,  "  It  is  the  very  hardest  thing  to 
work  for  six  or  seven  years  and  see  no  converts,  espe- 
cially when  one  has  witnessed  such  blessed  results  at 
home."  As  he  spoke,  there  were  tears  in  his  eyes. 
Scant,  surely,  are  the  visible  results  of  so  much  work 
by  such  a  gifted  gentleman,  but  it  is  impossible  to 
question  the  earnestness  and  sincerity  of  such  men  as 
this  Scandinavian,  who  give  the  best  years  of  their  life 
uncomplainingly  to  the  thankless  task  of  saving  the 
heathen  in  the  regions  far  beyond.  But  for  such  as  he 
"  shall  life  succeed  in  that  it  seems  to  fail."  He  told 
me  of  one  Thibetan  priest  who  professed  great  interest 
in  the  truth,  and  said  to  him,  "  I  have  been  seeking 
peace  all  my  life,  and  maybe  your  religion  has  it  for 
me."  But  he  suddenly  stopped  coming.  Was  he  killed 
by  his  own  fanatical  countrymen? 

Chungking  has  many  industries.  The  pigs  here 
grow  a  fine  quality  of  bristles,  ten  thousand  piculs 
(thirteen  thousand  pounds)  of  which  are  shipped  from 
Chungking  every  year.  I  tried  in  vain  to  find  out 
why  these  pigs  are  so  signally  successful  in  the  bristle 
business.  This  is  the  one  product  on  which  foreign 
merchants  make  money.  Native  medicines  are  ex- 
ported in  great  quantities,  about  one  million  piculs 


io6    THE  POSSIBILITIES  OF  BAMBOO 

every  year.  I  asked  the  Commissioner  of  Customs 
how  many  different  medicines  were  made  in  Chung- 
king. He  pointed  to  a  volume  two  inches  thick  and 
said,  "  That  book  contains  nothing  but  the  names  of 
native  medicines/'  Opium  is  the  most  valuable  ex- 
port. The  native  article  is  rapidly  supplanting  the 
foreign  drug,  sixteen  thousand  piculs  being  exported 
annually.  Four  hundred  thousand  goat  skins  were 
shipped  from  the  port  last  year. 

On  the  crowded  streets  of  this  bustling  emporium 
of  Szechuen  one  sees  many  things  made  of  bamboo. 
Indeed,  in  this  Province  a  man  can  sit  in  a  bamboo 
house  under  a  bamboo  roof,  on  a  bamboo  chair  at  a 
bamboo  table,  with  his  feet  resting  on  a  bamboo  foot- 
stool, with  a  bamboo  hat  on  his  head  and  bamboo 
sandals  on  his  feet.  He  can  at  the  same  time  hold  in 
one  hand  a  bamboo  bowl,  in  the  other  bamboo  chop- 
sticks and  eat  bamboo  sprouts.  When  through  with 
his  meal,  which  has  been  cooked  over  a  bamboo  fire, 
the  table  may  be  washed  with  a  bamboo  cloth,  and  he 
can  fan  himself  with  a  bamboo  fan  and  take  a  siesta  on 
a  bamboo  bed,  lying  on  a  bamboo  mat  with  his  head 
resting  on  a  bamboo  pillow.  His  child  might  be  lying 
in  a  bamboo  cradle,  playing  with  a  bamboo  toy.  On 
rising,  he  could  smoke  his  bamboo  pipe  and,  taking  a 
bamboo  pen,  write  a  letter  on  bamboo  paper,  or  carry 
his  articles  in  bamboo  baskets  suspended  from  a  bam- 
boo pole,  with  a  bamboo  umbrella  over  his  head.  He 
might  then  take  a  walk  over  a  bamboo  suspension 
bridge,  drink  water  out  of  a  bamboo  ladle,  and  scrape 
himself  with  a  bamboo  sweat  scraper  (handkerchief). 
The  bamboo  ingenuity  and  persistency  have  produced 
(bamboo)  joint  results  which  exhibit  the  potentialities 
and  possibilities  of  the  Chinese  people. 

Chungking  is  one  of  the  finest  towns  in  China,  and 


xxxvi 


CHINESE  LABOUR  107 

the  estimate  of  the  population  given  above  applies  only 
to  those  in  the  city  proper;  another  hundred  thousand 
live  in  the  suburbs.  About  ten  years  ago  a  Mint  with 
all  the  latest  modern  machinery  was  established  by  the 
Mandarins.  It  was  put  up  by  an  expert  from 
America,  but,  owing  to  what  Kipling  calls  "  official 
sinning,"  was  soon  closed.  It  was,  however,  re-opened 
a  month  ago,  and  now  coins  a  Szechuen  silver  dollar 
which  the  native  banks  are  trying  to  circulate  as  legal 
tender.  Silver  is  transported  from  place  to  place  by 
coolies,  who  carry  twelve  hundred  taels  as  a  load.  It 
is  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  a  string  of  seventy 
coolies  together.  When  the  men  stop  for  the  night, 
the  silver  is  stacked  up  and  guarded  by  armed  men, 
but  in  spite  of  these  precautions,  robberies  often  occur. 
One  coolie,  who  had  been  attacked  and  wounded  by 
desperadoes,  was  brought  to  the  American  Hospital. 
He  had  manfully  stuck  to  his  charge,  although  he  had 
received  a  spear  thrust  in  the  right  side  of  the  neck  two 
inches  deep,  a  sword  thrust  across  the  face,  which  had 
just  missed  his  eye  and  severed  the  jaw  bone,  a  second 
cut  by  the  ear,  and  both  hands  cut  off  at  the  wrists. 
Another  of  the  guards  was  in  a  house  when  the  mid- 
night raid  was  made,  but  escaped  by  hiding  in  a  coffin, 
and  a  third  was  beaten  to  death. 

In  Chungking,  a  carpenter  receives  in  wages  a  sum 
equal  to  five  gold  cents  a  day,  and  his  food,  which  is 
equal  to  two  and  a  half  cents,  and  consists  of  rice  and 
vegetables.  Half  a  catty  of  pork  every  ten  days 
is  added.  A  daily  labourer  receives  two  cents  and 
his  food. 

The  Chinese  have  never  known  the  use  of  the  screw 
in  mechanical  appliances.  Hence,  mechanically,  the 
Celestials  have  no  vice.  The  lumber  for  the  new 

I  reign  building,  now  being  erected  in  the  city,  arrives 


io8  THE  GREAT  PIG  RIOT 

in  the  logs,  green  or  rotten,  and  after  being  dried  on 
the  ground,  is  carefully  selected.  Owing  to  poor  tools, 
absence  of  skill,  and,  incidentally,  presence  of  laziness, 
it  requires  ten  Chinese  to  do  the  work  of  one  American. 

The  indemnity  with  which  the  eccentricities  of  the 
Empress  Dowager  and  her  advisers  burdened  China  is 
easier  to  tabulate  in  a  treaty  than  to  extract  from  the 
people,  the  majority  of  whom  live  from  hand  to  mouth, 
or,  in  popular  language,  possess  "  to-day  only  to-day's 
eating."  The  Viceroy  Kwei,  of  Szechuen,  endeavoured 
to  collect  a  part  of  his  assessment  by  imposing  an  addi- 
tional tax  of  one  hundred  cash  on  every  pig  killed  by 
the  butchers  of  the  Province.  When  the  Chungking 
authorities  attempted  to  collect  this  amount,  the  Butch- 
ers* Guild  (there  is  a  guild  for  everything  and  every- 
body in  China,  including  the  beggars  and  thieves)  arose 
as  one  man  to  defend  their  vested  rights.  A  boycott 
on  hogs  was  instituted,  and  no  more  pigs  were  to  be 
killed.  By  this  action  the  butchers  hoped  to  appeal  most 
strongly  to  the  inner  man  of  the  populace  against  the 
exactions  of  the  Viceroy,  and  fifty  of  their  number, 
with  provisions,  entrenched  themselves  in  the  City 
Temple.  Such  proceedings  amounted  to  a  rebellion 
against  His  Majesty  the  Son  of  Heaven  and  the 
authorities  ordered  the  troops  to  bombard  the  position, 
and  the  butchers,  not  obtaining  the  support  they  had 
counted  on,  were  compelled  to  yield  with  the  usual  re- 
sults. Somebody  else  besides  pigs  was  killed,  "  lest 
example  breed  by  his  sufferance  more  of  such  a  kind," 
the  riot  was  over,  the  boycott  removed,  and  pork  was 
sold  with  the  tax  on. 

As  I  had  occasion  to  discover,  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant matters  connected  with  an  overland  trip  in 
China  is  the  agreement  made  with  the  coolies  for  the 
chairs  and  impedimenta.  It  seemed  wise  to  take  coolies 


AN  ORIGINAL  DOCUMENT  109 

from  the  "  Hemp  Country  Agreement  Firm,"  the 
greatest  Coolie  Hong  in  Western  China.  The  contract 
was  drawn  up  on  red  paper,  two  feet  long  and  a  foot 
and  a  half  wide;  a  very  formidable-looking  document. 
Herewith  I  give  the  translation,  or  rather  a  translation, 
for  like  the  legal  documents  of  Western  nations,  it 
bears  several  interpretations. 

Translation  of  the  Contract  for  Coolies  to  Luchow. 

"  Mr.  Eastern  Region 

Of   the   Hemp    Country    Agreement    Firm. 

"  In  the  respectful  presence  of  the  old  gentleman,  Guy  (Guy 
is  the  Chinese  name  of  the  author)  of  the  great  Beautiful 
Country  (United  States  of  America)  chair  coolies  and  bearers 
of  burdens  over  the  shoulders  are  engaged  from  the  ancient  city 
of  Yu  (Chungking)  before  the  water,  to  start  and  escort  to 
Luchow  is  decidedly  fixed  that  every  man's  price  shall  be  in 
great  red  cash,  two  strings  two  hundred.  The  reward  according 
to  merit  (that  is,  half  a  catty  of  pork)  for  each  man  to  be  in- 
cluded in  the  price,  using  coolies  many  or  few.  As  many  as 
you  lay  your  hands  on  you  give  accordingly.  Should  you  use 
a  Top  Corner  (three-bearer  chair)  or  Four  Bearer,  or  an  oppo- 
site Board  (two-bearer  chair)  each  chair  shall  be  paid  for  in 
hand,  six  hundred,  eight  hundred  cash  respectively.  Carrying 
frames  and  cords  to  be  found  by  the  gentleman  who  goes  on  the 
road.  Each  load  carried  over  the  shoulder  shall  be  eighty  catties. 
Each  load  carried  between  two  men,  with  the  skin  and  all,  one 
hundred  and  twenty  catties  of  the  Heavenly  Balance  Steelyard, 
weighed  as  evidence.  At  the  ancient  city  of  Yu,  each  name 
received  in  present  money  eighteen  hundred  cash  and  arrived 
at  Luchow,  each  name  clears  up  the  lower  foot  in  red  cash  four 
hundred  per  man  exactly.  The  tea  money  to  be  acording  to  the 
generosity  of  the  donor. 

"  This  original  document  should  be  returned  to  the  Firm. 

"  There  is  the  Head  Coolie  who  is  responsible.  In  case 
there  is  any  misdemeanor,  this  mean  establishment  may  be 
enquired  of. 

"  To  show  there  is  no  deception  in  the  midst  of  this,  this 
document  is  drawn  up  as  evidence.  The  protecting  and 
escorting  Boss  Coolie  is  Tai  Ping  Cheng  (Mr.  Wearing-Lumin- 
ous-Perfection). 

"  Outside  this,  it  is  limitedly  fixed  that  in  the  last  Idol 
Moon,  the  Nineteenth  Sun,  not  having  yet  beaten  the  Third 
Watch  of  the  Night,  they  shall  have  entered  the  City  of  Luchow. 


no  THE  C.  I.  M. 

"Drawn  up  in  the  twenty-eighty  year  of  the  Emperor  Illustrious 
Succession,  twelfth  Moon,  sixteenth  Sun. 

"  He  who  sets  up  the  characters,  in  the  Change  City  (Chung- 
king) Branch  of  the 

"  Hemp  Country  Agreement  Firm, 
"  (Signed)  Eastern  Region." 

Mr.  Eastern  Region,  the  headman  or  proprietor  of 
probably  the  greatest  Coolie  and  Mail  Depot  in  China, 
was  formerly  a  mere  carrying  coolie  who  did  his  work 
well.  He  was  patronized  by  an  official  who  saw  his 
worth,  and  helped  him  a  bit  by  giving  him  coolie  busi- 
ness. On  one  occasion  Eastern  Region  lost  some 
valuable  goods  of  this  same  benevolent  official.  Know- 
ing his  honesty,  the  official  forgave  him  and  continued 
his  patronage.  This  sounds  like  the  story  of  an 
American  lad,  but  even  in  China  a  man  stands  a  good 
chance  of  getting  on  in  the  world,  if  he  attends  strictly 
to  business. 

The  China  Inland  Mission  began  its  important  and 
successful  work  in  Chungking  twenty-five  years  ago. 
This  station  of  the  mission  is  regarded  by  the  mission- 
aries as  unhealthful,  and,  as  experience  has  shown,  on 
very  strong  foundation.  In  twenty-five  years  thirty 
missionaries  have  been  engaged  there;  in  fact,  it  has 
taken  about  five  per  cent,  of  the  whole  strength  of 
the  mission  to  support  this  one  point.  These  figures 
appear  to  me  to  represent  a  great  outlay  of  human 
life.  It  is  said  there  is  a  greater  mortality  in  the 
C.  I.  M.  than  in  any  other  mission  in  China.  As  to 
the  healthfulness  of  Chungking,  there  is  a  difference 
of  opinion.  One  foreign  M.D.  (a  gunboat  doctor) 
considers  it  a  healthful  place;  others  think  that  the 
porous  rock  which  abounds  here  absorbs  vapours 
and  then  gives  them  off,  thus  producing  malaria  and 
dysentery. 

The  ordinary  Sunday  congregations  at  the  Inland 


THE  CONVERSION  OF  MR.  VIGOUR    1 1 1 


Mission  number  three  hundred  and  fifty.  A  nice 
chapel  has  a  seating  capacity  of  five  hundred.  The 
whole  property  is  worth  about  fifteen  thousand  taels. 
As  Chungking  is  the  commercial  centre,  the  mission  has 
a  business  department  here,  of  which  Mr.  T.  Geil  Wil- 
lett  is  in  charge,  and  manages  the  finance,  forwards 
bullion,  mails  and  necessaries;  and  does  everything  to 
further  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  the  many  mis- 
sionaries scattered  through  Western  China.  By  careful 
attention  to  detail,  and  close  observation  of  the  money 
market  in  Shanghai,  this  shrewd  manager  has  cleared 
all  office  expenses  and  closed  the  year  with  a  balance  in 
hand.  The  result  is  a  considerable  saving  not  only  to 
the  mission  as  a  whole,  but  to  the  individual  workers. 
He  is  a  man  of  whom  it  may  be  said,  "faithful  in  busi- 
ness, he  shall  stand  before  kings." 

I  was  specially  struck  with  the  despatch  exhibited  by 
Mr.  Willett  in  the  conduct  of  some  personal  affairs  of 
my  own.  He  was  cheerful  and  accommodating,  al- 
though I  was  told  he  was  a  delicate  man.  Judging  by 
him,  it  might  be  better  if  more  people  were  "  sick." 

The  Friends'  Mission,  at  the  head  of  which  is  a 
graduate  of  Dublin  University,  Mr.  L.  ^Wigham,  sus- 
tains a  school  for  the  children  of  the  missionaries  of 
every  denomination.  The  Friends'  missionaries  have 
only  one  youngster  in  the  school,  which  proves  that  it  is 
purely  a  philanthropic  and  unsectarian  institution. 
The  Friends  also  carry  on  the  largest  school  for  native 
boys  in  the  city,  the  pupils  at  which  show  themselves 
to  be  wild  after  mathematics  and  English.  Their 
church  consists  of  twenty-eight  members,  and  there  are 
in  addition  fifty  enquirers.  The  Quakers  relate  an 
interesting  story  about  a  wealthy  Chinese  gentleman 
named  Vigour.  He  is  thirty-six  years  old,  and  lives 
about  two  hundred  li  from  Chungking.  He  became 


ii2  MISSIONS  IN  CHUNGKING 

convinced  that  the  Christian  doctrine  was  true  through 
reading  a  Christian  book  which  came  into  his  posses- 
sion. Immediately  he  commenced  to  practise  what  he 
understood  to  be  the  duty  of  a  believer  in  the  Saviour 
of  the  world.  He  spoke  to  relatives  and  friends  about 
this  new  truth. he  had  found,  and  led  many  others  to  a 
knowledge  of  Christ.  Sometime  after,  a  missionary 
who  visited  the  place,  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  a 
band  of  Christians  numbering  about  eighty,  who 
gathered  regularly  for  Divine  service.  He  enquired 
of  the  magistrate  and  the  people  of  the  village  as  to 
the  character  of  Mr.  Vigour,  and  all  agreed  that,  while 
formerly  his  reputation  had  not  been  good,  he  was  now 
an  entirely  changed  man.  Last  year,  when  he  was 
away  from  home  on  a  preaching  tour,  the  Boxers 
visited  his  house.  Some  friends  wrote  and  advised 
him  to  return  to  look  after  his  property.  He  replied, 
"  I  am  preparing  to  do  Gospel  work  where  I  am,  and 
that  is  more  important  than  anything  else."  "Who 
ever  knew  truth  put  to  the  worse  in  a  free  and  open 
encounter?  "* 

The  London  Missionary  Society,  whose  workers 
have  transformed  the  Samoan  Islands,  has  a  staff  of 
strong  men  in  Chungking,  among  whom  Mr.  Parker 
occupies  a  prominent  place.  Besides  their  evangelistic 
efforts,  they  carry  on  an  extensive  medical  work.  And 
yet,  in  spite  of  all  that  missionaries  are  doing,  there 
are  men  who  go  about  criticising  them  and  their  work, 
men  who  have  no  personal  knowledge  of  how  these 
ladies  and  gentlemen  labour  for  the  good  of  mankind 
and  the  world. 

Two  other  missionary  societies  are  at  work  in 
Chungking  besides  those  mentioned;  the  Roman 
Catholics  and  the  American  Methodists,  both  of  which 
*  Milton's  "  Areopagitica." 


THE  START  FOR  LUCHOW     113 

are  large  and  prosperous.  The  Americans  run  much 
to  medicine  —  I  find  that  the  Chinese  like  to  "  eat  " 
foreign  drugs.  So,  barring  one  riot  which  was  in- 
teresting and  gratifying  to  them,  the  natives  have  been 
rather  pleased  than  otherwise  with  my  countrymen.  A 
monster  hospital  building  is  now  in  course  of 
construction,  and  a  large  number  of  workmen  are 
necessarily  employed;  hence  it  is  to  the  interest  of 
all  to  keep  the  peace.  This  last  year  eighteen 
thousand  native  patients  were  treated.  The  Metho- 
dists have  also  started  a  Biblical  Training  School 
to  prepare  evangelists  for  the  growing  work.  They 
are  doing  a  good  deal  of  good  hard  work,  are  these 
Yankees. 

Chungking  I  left  with  regret  at  five-thirty  A.M.  on 
the  seventeenth  Sun  of  the  last  Moon  of  the  Old  Tiger. 
I  was  up  and  had  a  cup  of  coffee,  with  some  currant 
cakes,  preparatory  to  starting.  Our  party  consisted  of 
my  secretary,  interpreter,  the  men  whom  I  engaged  at 
the  "  Eastern  Region  "  Establishment,  the  runners 
from  the  Yamen,  and  soldiers.  The  coolies  and  chair- 
bearers  were  prompt  to  their  time,  and  did  their 
work  well. 

A  few  minutes  after  six  we  passed  through  the  Nine 
Piece  Bridge  District,  along  a  narrow  street  by  the 
new  French  Catholic  Schools,  at  the  door  of  which  two 
priests  were  standing  with  large  crosses  dangling  on 
their  dark  gowns  ;  then  through  "  The  Gate  that  leads 
to  the  South  Place."  Here  Willett's  Shadow  said, 
"  Go  slowly,"  to  which  we  replied,  "  Please  sit  down." 
The  morning  moon  was  misty  as  we  passed  through 
miles  of  graves  beyond  the  part  of  the  wall  which  has 
been  fortified  against  robbers  since  the  time  of  the  Yu 
Man  Tsz  rebellion. 

Among  the  long  lines  of  graves  it  was  very  sugges- 


ii4  MR.  MA'S  INN 

tive  to  see  the  telegraph  poles  and  wires.  By  the 
roadside  we  saw  many  shrines  containing  images  of 
the  local  deities.  Fifteen  li  from  the  city  we  came  upon 
the  rock  Fu  Tu  Kwan,  set  in  the  face  of  which  is  a 
large  gilt  Buddha,  and  near  it  the  inscription, 
"  Righteous,  Merciful,  Loving."  A  kind-looking  old 
Chinaman  met  me  and  said  with  a  smile,  "  You  foreign 
gentleman,  where  are  you  going?"  ;<  To  Luchow," 
was  my  reply. 

I  was  travelling  on  the  Great  Provincial  Road,  run- 
ning from  Chungking  to  the  capital,  Chentu.  It  is 
seven  feet  wide  and  paved  with  stone,  and  suggested 
the  well-known  common  verse, 

n  9  &  ig  $•  it  A 


The  quality  of  man's  friendship  is  like  the  autumn  clouds  —  thin. 
The  way  of  the  world  is  like  the  Szechuen  roads  —  rough. 

—  Common  Verse. 

We  stopped  at  the  "  Perpetual  Provider  "  Inn  and  had 
Early  Rice  at  seven-forty,  at  which  meal  I  ate  two 
large  bowls  of  rice  and  bean-curd.  The  building  is 
open  in  front,  and  consists  of  bamboo  laths  plastered 
over  and  resting  on  wooden  beams.  Mother  Earth 
serves  as  a  floor,  and  square  tables,  with  forms  on  the 
four  sides,  hold  the  viands.  It  was  ten-thirty  A.M. 
when  we  passed  through  the  "  Stone  Bridge  Shop  " 
village,  where  there  are  several  stone  arches  bearing 
such  inscriptions  as  "  Constant  Virtue,  Filial  Piety, 
and  Chastity,"  "  Unsurpassed  Excessive  Virtue,"  etc. 
By  noon  we  passed  the  "  Dragon  Cave  Barrier  "  hill, 
walled  about  to  facilitate  the  capture  of  robber  bands 
in  that  region.  Near  this,  a  tea  house  bore  the  high- 
sounding  name  of  "  Worthy  Virtue  Hall."  Dinner  was 
served  at  Mr.  Ma's  Inn  in  Peshih,  a  village  possessing 


MONEY  FOR  THE  DEAD  115 

a  street  two  li  long.  Mr.  Ma  was  unable  to  tell  me 
how  many  people  lived  there  and  how  many  had  died 
there  since  the  founding  of  the  place  in  the  misty  ages 
of  the  past.  The  dinner  for  three  cost  one  hundred 
and  thirty-two  cash,  or  about  six  cents  gold.  The 
items  were  stewed  meat,  eighty-two  cash;  rice,  forty- 
two  cash;  vegetables,  ten  cash.  This  was  ample  for 
all  of  us.  Ma's  shop  is  called  "  Complete  and  Pros- 
perous Righteousness."  At  half-past  three  we  came 
into  the  village  of  Chaoumakang,  and  saw  a  family 
burning  paper  money  in  an  iron  pan.  We  found  out 
that  it  was  the  anniversary  of  the  death  of  a  member, 
and  the  relatives  were  providing  him  with  money  to 
get  through  the  Spirit  Land  in  good  shape. 

At  five-thirty  P.M.  we  entered  the  "  Glorious  Flowery 
Inn,"  in  the  town  of  "  The-Stage-of-the-Fabulous- 
Bird,"  having  made  one  hundred  and  ten  li,  a  good 
day's  work.  The  men  were  tired,  but  ate  their  vege- 
tables and  rice  vigorously.  Soon  afterwards,  doubtless, 
they  found  their  way  to  the  ever-present  opium  den. 
I  wrote  on  my  typewriter,  and  then  retired  early  having 
first  placed  an  oilcloth  on  the  bed  under  the  quilt  to 
guard  against  the  numerous  agile  insects  which  seem 
to  be  always  kept  on  hand  for  the  special  benefit 
of  guests. 

An  early  start  awaited  us  next  morning.  It  was 
two-thirty  A.M.  on  the  eighteenth  Sun  that  I  rose 
hastily,  bathed,  and  by  three-fifteen  started  off  on  the 
long  day's  journey  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  li.  The 
early  morning  was  cold,  so  I  walked,  and  thus  pleased 
my  four  chair-bearers.  By  seven  we  were  travelling 
through  a  country  of  reddish  brown  soil.  Squads  of 
coolies,  carrying  coal  in  round  baskets  at  the  ends  of 
their  shoulder  poles,  constantly  passed  us.  Our  Early 
Rice  was  served  in  the  "  Small  Horse  Village/'  where 


n6  VIRTUOUS  WIDOWS 

I  saw  large  strings  of  paper  silver  ingots  used  to  fool 
the  spirits  with.  Near  the  "  Great  Orange  Market  " 
was  an  arch  with  this  motto  cut  in  the  stone,  "  Love 
good  deeds  and  rejoice  to  give."  There  is  an  immense 
amount  of  suggestions  strung  along  this  highroad, 
done  in  cold  stone  on  the  monumental  arches.  Thou- 
sands of  taels  have  been  expended  in  erecting  these 
structures,  many  of  which  have  been  built  with  the 
Emperor's  approval.  Many  also  commemorate 
virtuous  widows  who  have  successfully  resisted  invita- 
tions of  admiring  gallants  to  remarry.  To  die  single, 
in  cases  of  this  kind,  is  virtuous. 

At  eleven  A.M.  I  stopped  to  take  a  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding country  from  the  top  of  a  little  knoll.  A 
beautiful  valley  lay  below.  The  whole  region  was  cul- 
tivated to  the  last  square  foot,  except  the  graves, 
which,  "  mindful  of  the  unhonoured  dead,"  were 
covered  with  brown  grass,  now  being  cropped  by  water 
buffaloes.  As  far  as  eye  could  reach,  the  valley  was 
divided  up  by  little  dykes  into  irregular  patches. 
When  the  dykes  extended  on  both  sides  of  a  gully  and 
the  contour  lines  were  perfectly  defined,  the  whole 
presented  a  pleasing  picture.  The  dykes  are  closer 
together  when  the  country  is  undulating.  On  both 
sides  of  the  road  many  of  the  fields  are  red  with  poppy 
which  will  later  on  waft  the  poor  Celestial  into  fairy- 
land, only  to  drop  him  again  into  an  opiumless  reality 
and  a  deeper  poverty.  Wheat  in  bunches  about  six 
inches  apart,  put  in  regular  rows  of  tufts,  lent  a  green 
tinge  to  the  landscape.  Other  fields  were  ploughed 
up  for  the  planting  of  rice,  and  were  flooded  with 
water.  I  saw  a  few  trees  in  the  valley;  a  few  speci- 
mens of  fir  with  the  lower  boughs  cut  off.  The  useful, 
ornamental,  and  ubiquitous  bamboo  abounded  in  the 
lowlands.  In  the  midst  of  the  fields,  so  thoroughly  and 


A  CHINESE  DOG'S  MISTAKE          117 

effectively  cultivated,  were  numerous  comfortable 
looking  homesteads  with  thatched  roofs  and  bamboo 
lath  and  mud  plaster. 

At  noon  we  "  ate  the  Mid-day  "  in  the  "  Peaceful 
Heart  "  Inn  at  Yunchwan  Hsien.  Here  are  about 
twenty-five  heathen  temples,  and  Roman  Catholic  and 
Protestant  mission  stations.  This  is  the  second  town 
I  have  passed  on  this  road  where  a  "  Gospel  Hall  "  is 
exerting  its  silent  but  powerful  influence.  The  people, 
consequently,  know  something  about  the  Christian 
religion  everywhere  in  this  region.  As  we  journeyed 
along,  I  frequently  noticed  what  appeared  to  be  dark 
brown  fields.  Being  exactly  the  same  colour  as  the 
soil,  I  was  easily  deceived — luckily,  in  idea  only.  A 
Chinese  dog,  less  fortunate  than  myself,  was  actually 
fooled,  for  in  jumping  across  one  of  these  "fields  " 
which  he  supposed  to  be  dry  ground,  he  plumped  down 
into  a  pond  of  water,  and  floundered  about  for  some 
time.  I  then  discovered  the  dark  brown  to  be  a 
fungus  growth  which  is  so  light  that  it  floats  on  the 
water.  It  not  only  deceives  unsophisticated  Szechuen 
dogs,  but  also  American  travellers  of  wide  and  varied 
experience. 

It  was  seven  P.M.  when  our  tired  caravan,  having 
finished  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  li,  wheeled  into  the 
"  Heavenly  Original  "  Inn  of  a  village  called  "  Wang- 
chia  Ting."  I  found  that  an  extensive  robbery  of 
silver  had  been  committed  there,  the  perpetrator  of 
which  had  been  caught  and  was  in  prison  awaiting  sen- 
tence from  the  high  authorities  in  Peking.  My  chair 
coolies  had  completed  one  of  the  heaviest  day's  work 
perhaps  ever  done  up  there;  in  fact,  I  believe  they 
broke  every  record  ever  made.  They  curled  up,  and 
were  fast  asleep  immediately  after  rice. 

The  next  day  was  Saturday,  and  we  made  the  re- 


n8  A  BARBAROUS  CUSTOM 

maining  one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  li  between  four 
A.M.  and  five  P.M.  An  amusing  incident  occurred  in 
the  morning.  Before  retiring,  we  arranged  with  the 
tired  fellows  to  be  off  at  "  cock  crowing,"  for,  like 
many  other  ancient  people,  the  Chinese  take  no  note 
of  clock  time.  At  three-thirty  A.M.,  when  we  called 
them  up,  they  sleepily  said,  "  The  cock  has  not  crowed," 
and  then  turned  over  for  another  snooze.  Because 
they  had  not  heard  chanticleer,  therefore  he  had  not 
crowed.  But  we  persisted  in  starting,  and  they  finally 
got  up.  It  was  over  an  hour  before  a  cock  actually  did 
crow  in  our  hearing,  when  we  were  well  on  our  way 
on  the  last  spurt  for  Luchow. 

While  passing  through  a  narrow,  dirty  street  in  the 
market  town  of  Lishih  Chan,  that  is,  "  Lift  up  the 
Stone,"  I  saw  a  man  almost  naked  lying  in  the  street 
with  his  face  within  a  few  feet  of  a  guard  house.  He 
was  nearly  dead,  and  had  probably  been  removed  from 
some  house  in  order  that  he  might  die  in  the  open.  It 
is  bad  luck  to  have  a  person,  especially  a  stranger,  die 
on  a  bed.  Such  a  scene  as  this  is  witnessed  everywhere 
in  China,  not  only  in  the  country  towns,  but  also  in 
rich  cities  like  Chungking.  After  being  ferried  across 
the  Yangtze,  which  we  reached  at  this  point,  we  came 
into  Luchow,  and  found  our  way  to  the  house  of  some 
Australian  missionaries,  who  gave  me  a  hearty 
welcome. 


xxxix 


A   PRETTY  NOOK  OUTSIDE   NORTH   GATE,    SUI-FU.      During  the   summer 
floods  the   P.ridge  in   the   foreground   is  covered,   the   river   rising   forty   feet. 


People  fear  a  bad  man,  but  Heaven  does  not  fear. 

The  world  imposes  upon  a  humane  man,  but  Heaven  does  not. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


MISSIONARY     NEEDS THE     WEARING    OF     NATIVE 

DRESS LUCHOW VISIT      TO     A      MANDARIN 

CHINESE     PRISONERS A     PROTECTING     TICKET 

SALT  WELLS. 

^^^  Y  long  and  eventful  journey  across 
ylf  \  China  nowhere  furnished  me  with 
f  r  A  a  more  hearty  welcome  than  from 
>  fl  the  Australian  missionaries  at 
Luchow.  While  Baptists,  they  serve 
to  swell  the  statistics  of  that  large 
interdenominational  missionary  so- 
ciety, the  China  Inland.  The  self- 
sacrifice  they  exhibit,  and  the  ad- 
mirable teaching  they  give  the 
native  converts,  leading  them  to 
endure  persecution  even  unto  death  if  necessary,  is 
worthy  of  the  highest  commendation.  The  efforts  of 
these  Australians  to  win  the  Chinese  of  all  classes  are 
vigorous  and  highly  commendable.  They  display  a 
measure  of  hospitality  which  is  characteristic  of  every 
true  missionary.  Rarely  are  missionaries  called  on  to 
entertain  beyond  reason,  but  those  at  certain  coast 
cities  should  be  given  a  grant  from  their  societies  to 
enable  them  to  make  a  stranger  feel  at  home.  It  is  a 


Cangue. 


120  THE  WANT  OF  BOOKS 

serious  matter  to  have  a  traveller  leave  with  the  im- 
pression that  a  Christian  worker  in  a  foreign  land  is 
mean  and  penurious.  The  tourist,  even,  is  easily 
prejudiced  by  any  such  appearance  of  stinginess  or  lack 
of  hospitality.  He  has  heard  many  stories  about  the 
useless  missionary  who  avoids  society  to  escape  observa- 
tion. The  real  missionary  will  court  contact  with  the 
great,  throbbing  outside  world,  for  while  the  statement 
that  the  missionary,  after  the  second  year  "  on  the 
field,"  ceases  to  develop  mentally,  may  be  taken  with 
a  grain  of  salt,  it  certainly  suggests  a  danger.  "  Re- 
member, when  the  judgment's  weak,  the  prejudice  is 
strong." 

Let  liberal  and  kind-hearted  friends  of  missions  send 
books,  good  books,  to  the  mission  workers  in  heathen 
lands.  One  really  interesting  work  every  three  months 
would  be  no  sacrifice  to  a  wealthy  American  or  English- 
man, and  it  would  serve  to  stimulate  intellectual 
growth  and  furnish  a  few  hours  of  relaxation  for  a 
tired  worker.  These  books  need  not  necessarily  be 
religious;  there  are  many  authors  whose  works  have 
a  thoroughly  wholesome  interest  such  as  would  appeal 
to  the  highly-strung  sensibilities  of  those  who,  in 
Eastern  countries,  have  "  nerves."  Some  think  there 
is  danger  of  noble  Christian  workers  getting  into  ruts 
and  believing  there  are  no.methods  save  those  they  have 
chosen  to  adopt  or  those  which  have  been  established 
by  a  predecessor  in  the  same  station.  It  is  folly  to  con- 
tinue mission  work  in  China  now  on  exactly  the  same 
basis  as  held  good  before  the  Boxer  outbreak,  and  the 
missionary  or  society  insisting  on  such  a  course  is  but 
wasting  the  people's  money  and  their  own  well-inten- 
tioned efforts. 

"  The  old  order  changeth,  yielding  place  to  new, 
And  God  fulfils  Himself  in  many  ways." 


MISSIONARY  DRESS  121 

At  Luchow,  I  found  the  missionaries  wearing  native 
garments,  but  well-dressed.  Even  the  coolie  will  as 
likely  listen  to  a  well-dressed  gentleman  as  to  a  slovenly 
attired  foreigner  whom  he  considers  stingy  for  not 
using  fabrics  becoming  his  station  in  life.  A  foreigner 
attired  in  a  coolie's  plain  and  tasteless  garb  must  cer- 
tainly displease  the  cultured  and  official  classes,  and 
make  small  impression  on  the  others.  There  is  much 
to  be  said  for  and  against  missionaries  adopting  native 
dress,  but  as  to  the  pigtail  there  is  no  question.  It 
seems  to  me  to  be  both  unnecessary  and  foolish; 
especially  when  there  are  millions  who  wish  to  divest 
themselves  of  that  insignia  of  servitude  forced  upon 
them  by  a  usurping  power.  The  "  Heathen  Chinee  " 
calls  the  foreigner  without  a  pigtail  a  "  true  devil," 
and  the  foreigner  who  wears  one  a  "  false  devil." 
This  may  be  taken  as  an  index  of  how  the  vast  majority 
of  the  Chinese  regard  the  question.  I  am  not  speaking 
of  its  use  before  the  Boxer  movement,  but  now! 
The  foreigners  who  adopt  the  emblems  of  the  Manchu 
Usurpation  will  certainly,  by  so  doing,  fail  to  influence 
a  large  number  in  favour  of  a  strange,  uncompre- 
hended  and  inconvenient  religion.  The  native  dress 
might  be  continued  with  some  advantage,  but  let  the 
hated  pigtail  come  off  every  foreign  missionary's  head. 
Or  at  least  let  every  society  make  it  optional.  The  in- 
dividual missionary  can  be  trusted  to  deal  with 
matters  of  that  sort;  otherwise  he  is  not  fitted  for  the 
foreign  field. 

It  has  been  said  that  if  the  pigtail  and  native  dress 
be  not  used  the  Chinese  will  stare  at  the  foreign 
preacher,  and  fail  to  take  in  the  message.  That  reminds 
me  of  a  man  who  said  that,  whenever  he  preached,  the 
natives  stood  with  gaping  mouth  and  wide  open  eyes ; 

statement  which  I  could  readily  believe,  for  he  knew 


122  PIGTAILS  A  MISTAKE 

little  Chinese,  and  must  have  been  a  wonder  to  the 
natives,  who  listened  amazed  that  their  language  pos- 
sessed sufficient  vitality  to  survive  such  treatment. 
But  the  Gospel  of  Christ  does  not  require  the  people 
to  remain  subservient  to  the  oppression  of  rotten  gov- 
ernments. Let  the  missionary  wear  the  universal 
clothes  of  advanced  and  highly  civilized  nations,  and 
let  him  leave  off  the  miserable  pigtail.  It  is  the 
superior  race  which  should  impose  its  customs  upon 
the  weaker.  As  to  being  conspicuous,  is  it  not  the 
business  of  the  missionary  to  be  as  conspicuous  as 
possible?  China  will  never  be  converted  by  foreign 
missionaries  alone.  More  of  them  are  needed  and  at 
once,  to  train  and  confirm  converts :  but  the  great  mass 
of  the  preaching  must  be  done  by  those  born  into  the 
Chinese  language.  There  are  no  nobler  men  in  all  the 
world  to-day  than  are  now  to  be  found  among  mission- 
aries in  China,  and  they  will  adjust  things  to  the 
changed  and  changing  conditions.  Tempora  mutantur, 
et  nos  mutamur  in  illis. 

This  well-named,  but  under-manned,  mission  con- 
trols thirty  stations.  It  may  be  explained  that  a  station 
is  a  place  where  services  are  held  every  day  in  the  year. 
The  present  staff  here  consists  of  Mr.  W.  T.  Herbert 
and  his  courageous  wife,  Mr.  Bird,  and  a  young  lady 
soon  to  change  her  name.  Across  the  river  are  two 
missionaries,  one  of  whom,  Mclntyre,  hails  from  that 
beautiful  city  of  Queensland,  Brisbane.  He  is  newly 
out,  and  spends  most  of  his  time  wrestling  with  the 
language.  The  latest  returns  indicate  that  he  has  the 
"throwing  hold."  In  all  the  stations  there  are  one 
hundred  and  four  Chinese  church  members,  but  fifteen 
hundred  souls  are  tabulated  as  real  enquirers,  sorted 
out  of  over  five  thousand  professed  enquirers.  Two 
million,  five  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  cash  have  been 


LUCHOW  123 

contributed  by  the  natives  during  the  last  six  months 
for  building,  renting,  and  sustaining  churches,  a  result 
which  is  considered  encouraging.  For  many  years 
Tom  James  laboured  here  with  one  station,  and  the 
twenty-nine  are  of  this  year's  origin.  Ten  native  evan- 
gelists are  employed,  and  it  is  estimated  that  annually 
every  person  in  the  thirty  cities  hears  the  Gospel,  or 
more  than  a  million  persons  listen  to  something  about 
the  true  Faith.  Eight  of  the  ten  are  supported  by  their 
own  people. 

The  workers  trace  the  present  success  to  a  robbery 
of  four  hundred  taels'  worth  of  goods  from  the  mis- 
sionaries. The  culprits  were  caught  and  imprisoned, 
but  the  missionaries  refused  compensation.  It  was  on 
the  highroad  at  Ti-Peng  that  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Mantsz  Rebellion  held  up  the  missionaries.  For  two 
years  their  punishment  lasted,  and  then  Tom  James 
requested  their  liberation.  This  kindness  so  wrought 
on  the  people  that  it  is  said  to  have  inclined  them  to 
hear  the  Gospel.  One  band  of  rascals  passed  a  resolu- 
tion to  protect  the  Gospel  Hall  people  and  care  for 
their  property.  This  proved  to  be  no  empty  promise, 
for  on  one  occasion  coolies  carrying  strings  of  cash 
belonging  to  the  missionaries  were  stopped  by  the 
highwaymen  and  asked  "  Whose  money  is  that  ?"  "It 
belongs  to  the  Gospel  Hall,"  was  the  answer.  "  Clear 
on,  clear  on,"  came  the  prompt  reply,  and  the  money 
went  safely  to  the  mission.  Several  robbers  have  been 
converted,  among  them  men  accustomed  to  command 
marauding  bands.  They  make  good  Christians.  I 
attended  a  morning  service  in  Luchow.  The  audience 
was  intelligent  and  large,  although  the  date  was  close 
to  New  Year  time,  when  every  Celestial  is  irregular  in 
everything  but  fun. 

Luchow  is  a  walled  city  with  over  forty  thousand 


124  THE  MEDICINE  MOTHER 

population.  It  has  a  large  iron  foundry;  it  is  noted 
for  its  umbrellas,  and  is  the  great  salt  depot  of  the 
West.  The  spiritual  interests  of  the  people  are  fostered 
by  sixty-six  temples  and  an  abundant  number  of 
priests  of  indifferent  reputation.  There  is  a  temple  to 
the  god  of  Literature,  the  god  of  War,  and  so  on. 
The  wall  of  the  city  is  fifteen  li  around,  and  seven 
gates  are  usually  open  to  the  people.  But  last  year  at 
this  time  there  was  a  season  of  drought,  and  the  in- 
habitants began  to  pray  for  rain.  They  never  pray 
for  anything  unless  they  are  hard  up  for  it.  The 
first  thing  they  did  was  to  close  the  South  Gate,  be- 
cause the  South  points  to  the  hot  parts.  No  rain  can 
come  in  that  way,  but  the  drought  used  that  gate  to 
gain  entrance  into  the  city.  They  prayed  and  prayed, 
but  still  no  rain  came.  The  officials,  from  the  Taotai 
down,  went  to  the  temple  of  the  Dragon  King,  bumped 
their  heads  on  the  floor,  and  besought  the  idol  to  send 
rain,  for  the  Sun  Idol  controls  fair  weather,  and  the 
Dragon  King  the  rain.  The  Taoist  priest  read  in- 
cantations, they  all  in  procession  walked  with  a  flag 
for  three  hours  each  day  round  the  altar,  but  to  no 
avail.  The  gate  was  closed  for  two  months.  To 
further  impress  the  Dragon,  a  paper  monster  was  con- 
structed and  carried  through  the  streets,  the  people 
throwing  water  on  his  ugly  head  and  praying  for  rain, 
but  the  Dragon  was  deaf.  During  all  this  time  no 
blood  was  to  be  shed.  In  time  the  rain,  disregarding 
the  gods,  came  of  itself. 

In  this  district,  if  a  woman  is  ill,  she  goes  to  the 
"  Medicine  Mother  of  Luchow  "  for  advice  about  her 
complaint.  The  old  hag  tells  her  patient  to  mention 
her  symptoms,  her  name  and  her  birthday.  The  sick 
woman  concludes  by  asking  the  Medicine  Mother  to 
"  look  at  the  egg,"  The  Medicine  Mother  then  calls 


I 


A  CROUP  OF  LOCAL  DEITIES,  CALLED  T'U— TI  PUSA.     The  Birthday  of 
occurs  on  the  sixth  of  the  sixth  Moon,  when,  as  in  the  present  instance,  the 
loK  are  brought  out  of  their  temple,  placed  on  a  dais  on  the  street,  and  Theatricals 
ayr<l   before   them,   and   in   their   honour.      Sui-Fu,   Western    China. 


BEGGARS  IN  CHINA  125 

to  an  idol  and  announces  the  name  of  the  enquiring 
woman,  saying,  "  Certain,  certain,  come  back;"  that  is, 
she  is  calling  back  the  soul.  The  old  hag  then  uses 
paper  money,  wraps  it  around  an  egg,  lifts  it  up  and 
down,  making  grimaces  and  uttering  weird  and  un- 
canny groans,  moans,  and  hysterical  exclamations ;  and 
then  throws  the  egg  into  the  fire.  When,  after  a  time 
the  egg  bursts,  the  witch  takes  it  out  and  looks  at  the 
shape  of  it.  If  it  resembles  a  pig  she  says,  "  Your  soul 
has  already  gone  into  a  pig,  but  has  now  returned  in 
this  shape."  The  sick  person  eats  the  egg,  and  the 
soul  is  back  in  the  body  again!  Nothing  could  be 
simpler  than  that.  The  Chinese  say  that  each  person 
has  three  souls,  and  when  one  is  lost  he  is  only 
one-third  dead;  on  the  return  of  that  soul  he  is  com- 
plete again. 

When  I  had  an  opportunity  of  visiting  the  "  Father 
and  Mother  "  of  the  city,  and  the  prisons,  I  had  with 
me  Mr.  "  Forest-of-Righteous-Fields,"  who  is  a 
Bachelor  of  Arts,  occupies  a  prominent  position  in  the 
city,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Gospel  Hall.  He  is  a 
vegetarian,  and  after  conversion  was  captured  by  a 
leader  of  the  U  Man  Tsz  Rebellion  and  taken  to  a 
temple  where  the  self-exalted  judge  said  to  him,  "  You, 
a  scholar,  have  no  right  to  believe  this  foreign  doc- 
trine," and  he  was  exhorted  to  recant,  but  in  vain.  He 
only  escaped  death  by  paying  the  rebel  leader  twenty- 
three  thousand  cash. 

It  was  nearly  noon  when,  with  Herbert,  Forest-of- 
the-Righteous-Fields,  and  sundry  natives  coming  along 
to  take  a  look  at  the  stranger,  I  started  for  the  Yamen. 
The  street  was  full  of  incidental  stairs,  but  after  divers 
trippings  up  and  down,  the  peculiar  sights  of  "  South- 
Corner-Head-Street  "  lined  with  pork  and  medicine, 
blacksmiths'  shops,  dyers  and  death  boxes — a  cheerful 


126  THE  YAMEN 

street! — occupied  my  attention.  When  nothing  more 
attractive  appeared,  I  watched  the  beggars  with  bowls 
and  poles — they  are  the  only  people  in  China  who  carry 
walking  sticks — and  the  sympathy  of  even  the  dogs  is 
for  the  shopmen  before  whose  doors  these  ragged,  ver- 
minous, dirty  vagrants  stand  and  rattle  and  cry  out  until 
a  solitary  cash  has  been  deposited  in  their  unwashed 
rice  basin.  "  Grannery  Mouth  Street,"  lined  with  stores 
and  mongrel  dogs,  led  into  "  Big-Cross-Street,"  from 
which  we  entered  "  Three-Memorial-Arch-Street,"  but 
the  arches  were  mouldered  away  and  nobody  could  say 
much  about  them.  In  China  even  a  good  widow  who 
did  not  remarry  may  be  forgotten,  although  monu- 
mental efforts  in  stone  may  be  erected  to  perpetuate  her 
memory.  The  people  of  the  street  have  worn  smooth 
the  top  end  of  an  iron  pile  sunk  into  the  ground,  which 
the  natives  say  has  no  nether  end.  The  deepest  digging 
had  failed  to  discover  it.  Not  often  in  any  land  is  it 
possible  to  find  an  iron  pile  with  only  one  end!  The 
thoroughfare  is  named  in  consequence,  Iron-Pile-Street. 
A  short  ride  in  Family-Han-Ridge-Street  and  we  were 
in  the  outer  entrance  of  the  Yamen. 

In  a  Chinese  city  one  can,  from  a  good  vantage  point, 
always  pick  out  the  Yamen.  They  bear  unmistakable 
evidences  of  the  "  boast  of  heraldry,  the  pomp  of 
power."  Wherever  one  sees  two  poles  about  thirty  feet 
high,  carrying,  two-thirds  of  the  way  up,  box-like  crea- 
tions resembling  a  crow's  nest,  smeared  with  red  paint, 
there  is  the  official  residence.  When  we  came  into  the 
Yamen  in  Luchow,  we  noticed  near  the  door  several 
poor  fellows  with  wooden  squares  about  their  necks. 
These  were  cangues  weighing  about  sixty  catties. 
Over  the  door  of  the  Yamen,  and  right  over  the  heads 
of  the  wooden-collared  prisoners,  was  a  very 
"  Chinese  "  inscription,  "  In  all  affairs  be  careful  that 


THE  MANDARIN'S  CURIOSITY        127 

you  love  the  people."  When  I  entered,  the  Mandarin, 
in  his  official  fur  robes,  received  me  in  the  best  audience 
chamber,  where  injustice  is  administered,  and  bade  me 
sit  on  his  left  hand.  The  official  residence  suggests  an 
out-of-repair  Pennsylvania  farm-house,  where  the 
owner  is  dead  and  the  estate  in  litigation  and  dilapida- 
tion. As  we  ate  good  sweets,  I  was  asked  my  age, 
where  I  was  going,  how  many  we  were  in  family,  what 
my  clothes  cost,  how  much  money  it  takes  for  such  a 
journey,  and  whether  I  had  any  wonderful  things 
about  my  person.  At  this  latter  suggestion  I  was  ready 
for  business,  for  I  had  been  travelling  in  Inland  China, 
and  stopping  at  native  inns,  and  if  I  had  none  on  me, 
it  was  no  fault  of  mine.  I  showed  him  my  watch,  and 
his  yellow  face  lighted  up  with  a  home-made  Celestial 
smile  as  he  handled  it  lovingly  and  asked  to  see  its  in- 
sides.  Did  he  expect  to  see  a  heart,  lungs,  and  gizzard 
in  the  timepiece  ?  The  "  Father  and  Mother  of  the 
people  "  had  an  unbounded  curiosity  and  wanted  to  see 
the  "  wheels  go  round."  Then  out  came  a  Fahrenheit 
pocket  thermometer,  which,  with  a  fountain  pen,  is 
always  over  my  heart,  when  not  in  use.  I  placed  it  in 
the  long-nailed  hand  of  the  crafty  Mandarin.  He 
watched  the  mercury  ascend  with  the  bland  delight  of 
a  child  who  had  found  a  new  toy.  Then  he  placed  the 
bulb  in  my  hand,  and  when  the  mercury  went  down 
he  smiled  with  more  evident  delight.  The  Mandarin 
was  gratified  that  even  in  so  small  a  thing  as  tempera- 
ture he  could  raise  the  mercury  higher  than  the 
foreigner. 

The  name  by  which  this  official  goes  is  Mr.  Plum- 
Patriotic-Mirror.  Had  I  been  to  France?  Of  course 
I  had,  but  oftener  to  England,  because  Great  Britain 
is  such  a  great  country.  Then  he  went  out  to  his 
summer  rostrum,  and  in  all  his  robes  of  state  sat  on 


128  CHINESE  JAILS 

a  chair  under  the  porch.  Next  to  him  was  a  square 
stand  with  a  clock  out  of  time  which,  when  it  goes, 
never  runs;  and  the  ever-present  water  smoke  pipe. 
Behind  him  stood  his  two  Shadows,  and  ranged  in 
imitation  of  military  order  two  rows  of  "  heroes." 
Then  I  photographed  the  batch.  There  were  more 
sweets ;  he  was  liberal  with  his  tea  and  the  native  con- 
fections. I  left  him  shaking  hands  with  himself.  Pass- 
ing the  gate,  the  band  of  drums  and  something  that 
sounded  like  an  American  horse  fiddle  serenading  a 
newly-wedded  couple,  played  in  my  honour.  Then  off 
I  went  to  the  prisons. 

On  this  tour  of  inspection  the  Yamen  "  shadows  " 
and  red  runners  accompanied  me.  The  prison  build- 
ings remind  one  of  dilapidated  zoological  gardens 
where,  in  broken-down  sheds,  the  beasts  are  human  ani- 
mals occupying  single  and  general  cages.  Inside  the 
Yamen  Compound  there  was  a  jail.  In  one  room  were 
three  prisoners  wearily  standing  in  heavy  cangues,  with 
their  heads  through  hinged  boards.  Chains  about  their 
necks  came  between  the  wood  and  their  bare  shoulders, 
so  that  the  poor  wretches,  when  standing,  bore  the  full 
heft  of  the  cangues  on  the  chains,  which  drove  down 
into  the  flesh.  To  rest  themselves,  it  was  necessary  to 
bend  down.  In  that  cramped  position  there  would  be 
relief,  but  only  for  a  minute.  This  room,  during  the 
night,  would  contain  thirty  persons  huddled  together 
like  cattle.  Those  who  have  money  can  get  the  cangue 
placed  on  the  side  during  darkness,  and  thus  obtain  a 
little  rest.  From  the  Yamen  gate  we  passed  outside  to 
a  detention  shed  where  over  twenty  culprits  were 
packed  in  a  small  room. 

The  jailer  has  many  ways  of  extorting  money  from 
the  prisoners.  One  is  to  place  a  pole  under  the  left  arm 
and  fasten  it  against  the  damp  wall,  then  press  the  other 


A  PRISON  PAWNSHOP  129 

end  under  the  right  arm  until  it  touches  the  wall.  This 
act  often  crushes  the  breast  bone.  Another  is  to  order 
the  other  prisoners  to  pick  the  lice  off  themselves  and 
put  them  on  the  subject  of  extortion.  A  more  cruel 
one  is  to  tie  a  string  to  the  right  thumb  and  to  the  great 
toe  and  pull  until  the  remaining  toes  only  just  touch 
the  floor.  This  devilish  device  has  proved  effective 
when  others  have  failed.  Torture  seldom  fails  of  its 
purpose.  I  thought  of  the  dialogue  between  the  fisher- 
men in  "  Pericles." 

"  Master,  I  marvel  how  the  fishes  live  in  the  sea." 

"  Why,  as  men  do  a-land ;  the  great  ones  eat  up  the 
little  ones."  In  the  detention  shed  the  prisoners  wor- 
ship the  image  of  a  deified  man  who  was  incarcerated 
and  died  there.  He  was  afterwards  proved  innocent, 
and  has  since  been  made  a  god. 

From  thence  I  went  to  the  outer  prison.  A  crowd 
had  gathered  meanwhile.  It  is  a  matter  of  some  im- 
portance to  have  "  fresh  "  foreigners  visit  the  Yamen 
and  make  a  long  call.  In  the  Outer  Prison  a  good 
supply  of  robbers  and  banditti  and  other  vicious  look- 
ing specimens  were  awaiting  trial.  When  passing  out 
I  saw  (surreptitiously,  perhaps)  in  a  large  dirty  room, 
a  poor,  wasted  consumptive,  naked  and  hugging  filthy 
rags,  who  called  out  to  me  in  a  thin,  sepulchral  voice, 
"  Mandarin,  Mandarin,  do  a  good  deed."  I  found  out 
that  he  meant  "  Ask  the  jailor  to  release  me,  and  when 
I  get  well  I  will  come  back  to  be  punished."  Two 
idols  stood  between  the  two  wings  of  the  wretched, 
noxious  place — one,  the  Goddess  of  Mercy,  and  the 
other  the  deified  man  who  was  unjustly  punished. 

The  next  move  was  to  visit  the  prison  for  capital 
punishment.  Here  we  waited  for  the  keeper  to  come 
with  the  crow-bar-like  keys.  He  had  them  fastened 
to  a  round  slab  of  wood  resembling  the  top  of  a  small 

I 


130  VALUE  OF  WASTE  PAPER 

table.  After  fumbling  about  he  finally  picked  the  two 
locks,  and  we.  stooped  to  enter.  A  pawnshop  was  the 
first  thing !  The  poor  prisoners,  racked  with  the  inhu- 
man tortures  of  the  rapacious  keepers,  even  pawn  their 
very  clothes  for  money  to  bribe  their  tormentors  and 
get  some  peace.  Heavy  manacles  and  other  irons  held 
the  condemned.  It  is  right  to  say  that  I  found  things  less 
severe  and  unclean  than  I  had  expected.  Some  clean- 
ing up  was  probably  done  before  my  arrival,  but  except 
for  the  extortion  and  accompanying  horrors,  the 
criminals  are  little  worse  off  than  they  would  be  out- 
side; some  are  even  vastly  better  housed  and  fed  than 
when  at  liberty. 

At  this  period,  my  impedimenta  consisted  of  three 
chairs,  two  horses,  four  soldiers,  five  coolies,  ten  chair- 
bearers,  and  two  Yamen  runners,  besides  a  special 
man  carrying  the  order  of  the  Luchow  Magistrate. 
Thus  we  started  overland  for  Suifu.  As  we  departed 
from  Luchow,  our  path  lay  through  a  large  cemetery 
where  we  passed  a  man  picking  up  papers  with  writing 
on  them.  He  had  been  engaged  by  a  wealthy  gentle- 
man to  perform  this  task  and  present  the  leaves  in 
fire  to  the  god  of  Literature.  The  basket  the  ragged 
fellow  used  had  two  inscriptions  on  it ;  "  Do  not  throw 
away  paper,"  and  "  In  respecting  characters  there  is 
merit."  The  respect  for  written  characters  is 
popular,  and  in  many  shops  are  special  baskets  for 
waste  paper. 

It  was  ten-thirty  A.M.  when  we  stopped  for  Early 
Rice  at  the  "  Horse-Peace-Stage-Inn."  This  inn  distil? 
its  own  liquor  from  sorghum  berries.  In  one  day  they 
use  two  hundred  and  twenty-four  catties  of  berries  anc| 
get  twenty-seven  catties  of  native  gin,  which  sell  for 
four  hundred  and  twenty-seven  cash  per  catty.  On  the 
opposite  side  of  the  inn  from  the  still  was  an  opium 


1. 1 1 T.     BOAT    STATION    AT    SUI-FU.       The    Characters    mean, 
"THE    HEADQUARTERS   OF    THE    LIFE    SAVING   APPARATUS." 


si 

15 


H   § 


§ " 

o 


£~ 
S  « 


r< 


THE  PROTECTING  TICKET  131 

den,  and  between  the  two  a  place  of  worship  and  an 
idol.  Over  the  altar  this  inscription  was  displayed, 
"  Happiness,  Emolument,  Longevity."  These  are  the 
three  things  the  Chinaman  longs  for  and  hopes  to  ob- 
tain— happiness  in  this  life,  a  remunerative  office,  and 
a  good  old  age. 

The  Yamen  escort,  which  was  temporarily  delayed, 
caught  up  with  me.  The  head  man  carried,  in  an 
immense  official  envelope,  a  "  Protecting  Ticket," 
which  is  issued  from  place  to  place  by  the  authorities. 
The  following  translation  of  the  huge  manuscript  was 
made  by  a  local  friend : — "  This  PROTECTING  TICKET 
from  Luchow  Magistrate's  Court,  in  the  Province  of 
Szechuen,  to  be  for  protection  this  day,  has  been  issued 
for  the  great  American  Great  Man  Guy.  The  carrier 
to  mutually  protect  and  carry  this  ticket.  The  soldiers 
will  accompany  to  the  Southern  Peak  City  to  the  pre- 
sence of  the  Magistrates'  Court. 

"  Runners  are  cautioned  to  bring  back  characters  to 
the  Chief  of  Police  at  Luchow  in  order  that  he  may  hear 
for  himself.  Soldiers  and  runners  must  not  threaten 
the  Great  Man,  but  according  to  this  sheet  receive, 
protect,  and  escort. 

"  For  this  purpose  the  soldiers  and  runners  are 
deputed  to  go  and  depart,  and  must  with  a  small  heart 
protect,  with  no  humbugging  noise.  This  must  be 
done  according  to  the  ticket  for  the  Great  American 
Chief  of  Police  (Geil).  All  in  one  man,  for  the  public 
with  one  foot,  twenty-eight  year,  twelve  moon,  twenty- 
one  sun,  of  Kwang  Hsu. 

To  be  given  to  the  right. 

Soldier  '  Crooked  Happiness '  and  runner  '  Running 
Out.' ' 

The  envelope  containing  this  document  was  fourteen 

ches  long  and  six  inches  wide,  and  had  on  the  outside, 


132  WATER  BUFFALOES 

"  Containing  one  letter  to  be  transmitted  according  to 
time."  This  seemed  to  be  a  full  and  satisfactory  paper. 
What  it  all  meant,  and  by  what  process  I  became 
a  Great  American  Chief  of  Police,  was  a  mystery  and 
an  unexpected  honour.  The  men,  from  the  Magis- 
terial Representative  to  the  common  soldier,  all  did 
their  work  promptly,  and  I  was  landed  in  Suifu  in 
good  repair. 

The  first  day's  journey  brought  us  the  length  of 
"  The  Southern  Well,"  a  village  where  rifles  are 
manufactured  at  the  rate  of  nine  a  month,  ten  men  at 
work.  On  reaching  this  village,  I  saw  for  the  first 
time  in  China,  a  salt  well.  Turning  around  a  corner  of 
the  City  Temple,  we  were  overlooking  the  whole  salt 
yard.  The  well,  so  the  workmen  said,  was  eleven 
hundred  and  fifty  English  feet  deep,  and  contained 
yellow  brine.  Bamboo  pipes,  forty  feet  long,  with  a 
bucket  in  the  bottom,  were  hauled  up  by  bamboo  rope 
wound  round  a  large  horizontal  skeleton  wheel,  by 
two  water  buffaloes.  It  was  emptied  into  a  stone 
trough,  and  ran  through  bamboo  piping  into  the  brine 
cistern  at  the  evaporating  station,  where  we  were 
shown  large  salt  pans  of  iron.  The  fuel  used  is  a  small 
bituminous  coal,  which  is  expensive.  This  well  was 
in  private  hands,  in  contrast  to  all  other  salt  works 
in  the  Province,  .which  are  a  Government  monopoly. 
It  is  evidently  a  continuation  of  the  great  salt  deposits 
one  hundred  and  sixty  li  North.  In  these  salt  districts 
thirty-five  thousand  water  buffaloes  are  employed  to 
pump  the  salt  brine  into  barges  and  through  bamboo 
pipes  to  the  evaporating  plants.  These  animals  rep- 
resent a  capital  of  over  a  million  and  three-quarter 
taels.  The  heavy  death-rate  of  the  animals  makes  it 
a  serious  business  for  the  owners,  one  of  whom  has 
been  obliged  to  replace  eighty  out  of  one  hundred  in 


THE  RIVER  OF  GOLDEN  SAND       133 

twelve  months  time.  Three  towns  with  a  population 
all  told  of  two  hundred  thousand,  depend  entirely  on 
the  salt  industry  for  a  livelihood.  A  Hide  and  Tallow 
Trust  buys  up  the  dead  animals  and  makes  a  big  thing 
out  of  the  misfortunes  of  the  well  owners.  The  "  buf- 
falo chips  "  from  some  forty  thousand  cattle  are  dried 
and  used  for  fuel.  This  proves  a  blessing  to  the  people, 
as  other  fuel  is  exceedingly  dear. 

The  wells  are  situated  in  the  Fushan  District.  Here 
only  two  months  ago  a  Protestant  church,  with  schools 
and  other  buildings,  was  completed.  The  church, 
which  is  large  for  China,  has  a  seating  capacity  for 
hundreds  of  adults.  Two-thirds  of  the  cost  was  paid 
by  the  Chinese.  The  pastor  in  charge  is  a  man  of 
private  means  who  gives  his  whole  time  to  Gospel 
work.  The  school  received  one  hundred  thousand 
cash  per  year  from  the  Hide  and  Tallow  monopoly. 
Here  is  located  a  very  progressive  magistrate  who  has 
prohibited  the  growing  of  opium.  The  foreign  mis- 
sionary to  the  well  workers  is  Mr.  W.  S.  Strong,  who 
has  been  sent  out  by  New  Zealand.  He  has  a  reading 
knowledge  of  about  seven  languages,  and  knows  how 
to  laugh  and  work  hard. 

From  Lanchi  we  took  boat  for  Suifu,  as  the  roads 
were  said  to  be  very  tiring.  The  next  day,  soon 
after  noon,  the  city  at  the  conflux  of  the  Min  and  the 
Yangtze  rivers  hove  into  sight.  The  water  from  the 
Min  is  clear  and  beautiful,  and  that  from  the  river  of 
the  Golden  Sands,  as  the  Yangtze  is  here  called  by 
the  Chinese,  is  yellow  and  uninviting.  The  Chinese 
are  fond  of  beautiful  names  and  expressions.  '  The 
River  of  Golden  Sand  "  is  fit  to  conjure  with ;  it 
certainly  brings  up  precious  thoughts. 

While  we  were  waiting  for  Early  Rice,  which  was 
late,  my  interpreter  found  a  dirty  and  dilapidated 


134  A  CHINESE  POET 

Chinese  book  fastened  to  a  chop-stick,  which  was 
sticking  in  the  mat  roof  of  the  old  coffin  we  were 
sailing  in.  This  he  proceeded  to  read,  giving  a  literal 
translation  and  blowing  the  pages  over  because,  he 
said,  millions  of  microbes  had  found  a  home  on  the 
leaves  of  the  disused  publication.  I  was  inclined  to 
agree  with  him.  The  title  of  the  book  was,  "  Spring 
and  Autumn  Classics  Popularized,"  and  it  proved  to 
be  a  poetical  work,  from  which  I  make  the  following 
lucid  extract : — 

Spring  comes,  summer  comes,  autumn  also  and  winter, 

One  year  is  gone  and  another  conies. 

It  has  its  similarities  and  its  dissimilarities. 

Up  to  this  point  the  poet's  efforts  reminded  me  of  a 
very  wonderful  verse  about  "  Beautiful  Snow,"  which 
certainly  betrays  evidence  of  genius : 

The  snow  is  falling  everywhere, 

Falling  here  and  there; 
Falling  through  the  atmosphere, 

And  also  through  the  air. 

But  to  continue  this  microbic  lucubration: — 

Flowering  grass  comes  from  the  Southern  River  dreams. 
To  be  good  is  to  be  influenced  by  the  spirits, 
On  behalf  of  men  and  the  Mandarin  to  receive  approbation. 
All  because  in  such  cases  it  is  contagious  in  the  family. 
To  eat  to  the  full  and  yet  have  over  is  the  sign  of  a  well-con- 
ducted family; 

When  the  heart  is  not  topsy-turvy  and  the  ear  is  inclined 
We  get  back  to  the  peaceful  life 
Which  is  the  original  condition  of  the  spirits. 
Let  this  poet  R.I.P. 


He  is  truly  an  ideal  man  who  can  watch  a  game  of  chess  in  silence. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


DROUGHT  AND  NATIVE  SUPERSTITIONS CHINESE 

IRRIGATION    AND    ENGINEERING    FEATS  THE 

MANDARIN'S  SATURNALIA — MISSIONARY  PROGRESS 
A  CHINESE  GENTLEMAN  AT  HOME. 

'HE  beautiful  White  Pagoda  of 
Suifu  stands  on  a  lofty  situa- 
tion at  the  east  corner  of 
the  junction  of  the  Min  and 
Yangtze  rivers.  Its  position 
opposite  the  city  of  Sui  and 
on  the  banks  of  the  Great 
River  is  considered  very  pro- 
pitious. Its  particular  busi- 
ness is  to  prevent  prosperity 
from  floating  down  stream 
past  the  city.  Here,  in  the  early  afternoon,  we  en- 
tered the  mixed  waters  of  the  "  River  of  Golden  Sands 
and  the  Min,"  prepared  to  go  up  to  the  South  Gate, 
but  one  of  the  soldiers  called  from  the  high  stone  em- 
bankment that  the  South  Gate  was  closed  on  account 
of  the  drought.  (The  North  Gate  is  shut  when  dry 
weather  is  wanted).  A  three  days'  fast  had  been  de- 
clared in  the  city  to  persuade  the  "  Lord  of  Streams," 
the  god  of  the  lakes  and  rivers,  to  furnish  refreshment 


Pumping  water  for  the  rice  fields. 


136  REMEDIES  FOR  DROUGHT 

to  the  needy  crops.  This  rain  god  was  once  a  man 
who,  in  his  natural  life,  built  the  extensive  canals  on 
the  vast  plain  of  Szechuen,  and  thus  reclaimed  an 
arid  waste  for  the  benefit  of  myriads.  The  stunted 
grass  and  grain  in  the  dusty  fields  which  I  saw  bore 
sad  evidence  of  the  lack  which  must  surely  be  felt  in 
next  harvest  time.  A  long  drought  and  the  attendant 
horrors  of  famine  and  disease  will  likely  precipitate 
riots  and  rebellions  among  the  superstitious  people,  and 
many  precious  lives  of  natives  and  foreigners  may 
be  sacrificed  to  the  frenzy  of  excited  and  hungry  mobs. 
As  Burke  puts  it,  "  Having  looked  to  Government  for 
bread,  on  the  very  first  scarcity  they  will  turn  and  bite 
the  hand  that  fed  them."  That  very  day  the  officials 
had  been  to  the  temple  to  try  and  influence  the  idol 
to  do  better  for  them.  To  show  their  humility  and 
concern  to  the  populace,  they  walked  to  the  shrine, 
but  were  carried  back  to  their  Yamens  in  luxurious 
chairs  to  exhibit  their  importance  to  the  dumb,  tax- 
exempted  deities. 

During  the  last  terrible  drought  the  farmers  brought 
in  their  ploughshares  and  other  farming  implements, 
and  laid  them  at  the  front  gate  of  the  Magistrate's 
Yamen.  This  action  spoke  louder  than  words,  and 
meant  that  the  Magistrate  must  not  expect  any  taxes 
from  the  tillers  of  the  soil.  To  relieve  the  distress 
and  bring  the  much-needed  rain,  the  city  officials  re- 
paired daily  to  the  temple,  where  they  implored 
High  Heaven  to  pity  the  suffering  people.  This 
proving  futile,  they  clad  themselves  in  plain  clothes 
and  walked  bareheaded  and  barefoot  to  the  place  of 
prayer,  where  they  prostrated  themselves  before  the 
idols,  enveloped  in  the  fumes  of  burning  incense.  In 
the  same  humble  and  contrite  manner,  the  Magistrate 
ascended  the  Hill  of  the  god  of  War,  outside  the 


OUTSIDE  THE  I1O-KIANG  GATE.  SUI-FU.  Notice  an  image  of  Buddha  on 
the  pathway.  These  are  placed  at  dangerous  points  to  seek  his  protection.  As  I  was 
about  to  expose,  a  man  called  out,  ".Stop  a  minute  while  I  obtain  Buddha's  protection, 
or  my  eyes  will  drop  out"  (a  vt-ry  common  superstition  among  the  working  classes). 


IRRIGATION  137 

North  Gate,  for  several  days  in  succession,  exposed  to 
the  fierce  rays  of  the  midsummer  sun  until  his  head 
and  arms  were  blistered  with  heat.  Even  the  Chinese 
know  that  self-sacrifice  and  self-abnegation  are  the 
conditions  of  prevailing  prayer.  But  all  in  vain  were 
"  the  imperfect  offices  of  prayer  and  praise."  For 
months  during  that  terrible  time  there  was  neither  rain 
nor  clouds. 

At  the  same  time  the  Chinese  have  performed  some 
noteworthy  engineering  feats.  Witness  the  Great 
Wall  fifteen  hundred  miles  long,  built  on  the  edge  of 
precipices,  lofty  ridges  of  mountains,  and  on  slopes 
steep  and  dangerous.  Witness,  also,  the  Grand  Canal, 
and,  worthy  of  notice,  the  irrigation  system  of  the  rich 
Szechuen  Province.  The  present  "  Lord  of  Streams," 
when  a  mortal  about  twenty-five  hundred  years  ago, 
conceived  a  plan  for  cutting  a  passage  through  the 
hill  La  Tui  Shan,  and  dividing  the  Chiang  River  into 
streams.  He  undertook  to  carry  the  water  by  a  net- 
work of  canals  across  the  great  plain  north  of  the 
capital  of  Szechuen.  In  this  he  was  successful,  and 
under  the  magic  touch  of  water,  the  sterile  land  was 
made  to  produce  rice,  and  for  centuries  has  furnished 
food  to  a  teeming  population.  As  the  decades  passed, 
improvements  were  made,  among  which  was  the 
manufacture  of  a  monster  cast-iron  tortoise  weighing 
thirty  tons.  It  was  fastened  to  an  iron  pillar  and  let 
down  into  the  bed  of  the  Chiang,  to  resist  the  water. 
Later  on  an  official  got  out  a  patent  for  two  huge  oxen. 
They  were  also  made  of  iron,  and  each  measured  ten 
feet  in  length.  He  brought  these  oxen  together  head 
to  tail  in  such  a  way  that  they  combined  to  form  the 
character  which,  in  Chinese,  stands  for  man.  The 
sharp  angles  of  the  oxen  are  supposed  to  break  the 
force  of  the  water.  On  the  heads  of  the  oxen,  above 


138  BREAKWATERS 

the  edge  of  the  dyke,  some  Chinese  characters  are  en- 
graved which  mean : — 

"  The  ox's  head  reveals  the  top, 
His  feet  disclose  the  bottom." 

An  ancient  writing  refers  to  the  oxen  as  follows: — 

"  Covered  by  the  floods,  the  horns 
Betoken  plenty  in  the  barns." 

"  When  the  water  is  brought  in  conflict  with  any  sub- 
stance, the  heaviest  prevails;  it  is  possible  to  bring 
together  tens  of  thousands  of  stones;  but  you  cannot 
unite  them  in  one  body;  but  tens  of  thousands 
(catties)  of  iron  may  be  melted  and  united  in  one; 
being  united  it  makes  one  solid  weight,  of  which  there 
is  nothing  heavier.  When  water  is  brought  in  conflict 
with  such  a  weight  it  rebounds,  and  divides  itself  into 
many  streams.  Divided  thus  its  strength  is  weakened ; 
in  this  weak  condition  even  bamboo,  wood,  or  sand 
may  resist  it;  thus  though  there  is  nothing  more  swift 
than  the  water  of  a  dyke,  yet  there  is  no  better  way  to 
cope  with  it  than  by  using  iron."* 

A  special  officer  superintends  the  repairs  on  the 
canals.  At  one  place  it  was  necessary  to  expend  an 
enormous  amount  of  labour  on  improvements.  These 
represented  the  work  of  a  quarter  of  a  million  China- 
men working  one  day.  A  tax  of  a  million  and  a 
quarter  taels  is  annually  collected  to  cover  the  expenses 
of  keeping  everything  in  order.  Here  the  bamboo 
figures  again,  four  hundred  thousand  poles,  it  is  said, 
being  used  every  year.  About  forty  of  these  are  plaited 
into  a  huge  basket  thirty  feet  long,  and  filled  with 
stones,  large  numbers  of  these  making  excellent  em- 
bankments to  prevent  inundation. 

We  stood  in  and  pulled  up  the  Min  a  short  way, 
then  drew  in  alongside  a  boat  containing  "  crushed 

*  The  above  facts  are  taken  from  the  Journal  of  the  China 
Branch  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society,  Vol.  33. 


NEW  YEAR  FESTIVITIES  139 

geranium  leaves."  When  we  got  on  shore,  a  soldier 
rushed  up  to  me  with  a  letter  which  proved  to  be  from 
Mr.  Wellwood,  a  prominent  missionary  of  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Union,  who  lives  in  Suifu.  He,  with  Mrs. 
Wellwood,  extended  a  hearty  invitation  to  me  to  be 
their  guest.  I  gladly  accepted,  and  engaged  to  bring 
my  boxes  and  "  grips  "  into  the  walled  city.  We  went 
by  the  East  Gate  along  narrow  streets,  tortuous  and 
wet  with  the  slops  of  water  carriers,  and  redolent  of 
smells,  to  the  comfortable  residence  of  the  Yankee 
Christians.  After  enduring  Chinese  inns,  and  living 
afloat  in  a  heavy,  leaky,  consumptive  old  tub  on  the 
Yangtze,  to  drop  into  a  foreign  front  yard,  with  a  bit 
of  fine  landscape  gardening,  was  doubly  refreshing. 
And  when  I  walked  into  the  foreign  house  with  its 
home  comforts,  American  knick-knacks,  white  table 
linen,  etc.,  all  presided  over  by  the  delightful  wife  of 
the  senior  missionary,  it  marked  an  epoch  in  this  jour- 
ney. I  also  met  Dr.  Tompkins  and  his  charming  wife, 
who  have  recently  arrived  to  join  the  mission.  They 
expect  to  begin  work  soon,  and  give  much  promise 
of  future  usefulness. 

The  Baptist  mission  premises  are  close  to  the  prin- 
cipal Yamen,  the  compound  of  which  is  used  in  part 
for  the  storage  of  the  public  grain  sold  by  the  officials 
at  reasonable  rates  to  the  people  during  the  stress  of 
drought,  to  keep  them  from  starvation. 

The  Chinese  New  Year  was  approaching,  and  every- 
body was  preparing  for  the  advent.  Stacks  of  laugh- 
ing masks  or  false  faces  for  the  festivities,  huge  piles 
of  strange  sweet  things  were  seen  at  frequent  intervals 
along  the  busy  streets.  I  noticed  a  large  pawn  shop 
where  many  Chinamen  were  "  hanging  up "  their 
goods,  for  small  sums  to  spend  during  the  holidays. 
Numbers  of  fortune  tellers  and  motto  and  scroll  writ- 


140  A  GREAT  GLUE  CENTRE 

ers,  who  disposed  of  their  commodities  for  a  trifle, 
were  much  in  evidence. 

At  the  earliest  opportunity,  the  missionaries  and  my- 
self went  out  to  take  photographs.  We  headed  first 
for  the  Pan  Tien  Tsz,  Half  Side  Temple,  which  adorns 
the  steep  side  of  the  mountain  on  the  south  shore 
of  the  beautiful  Min.  The  site  on  which  the  temple 
is  built  was  cut  from  the  living  rock.  It  cost  over 
two  thousand  taels,  and  is  dedicated  to  the  Goddess 
of  Mercy.  The  whole  establishment  looks  like  a  sana- 
torium or  hotel,  and  indeed,  is  sometimes  used  as 
such.  During  the  summer  months  when  the  waters  are 
high,  it  is  the  rendezvous  of  the  wealthy  Chinese, 
who  invite  their  friends  to  feast  in  the  room  over- 
looking the  river.  Near  here  is  the  famous  statue  of 
Tamo,  said  to  be  Saint  Thomas,  even  by  some  Chris- 
tians. It  is  supposed  by  the  Chinese  to  have  come 
over  from  India  on  the  back  of  a  turtle.  Someone 
has  stolen  the  turtle  and  the  head  of  the  statue,  for 
both  being  of  brass,  they  were  worth  more  on  the 
market  as  metal  than  as  saint.  When  approaching  the 
Half  Side  Temple,  the  odour  which  greeted  the  olfac- 
tories suggested  soap  works,  a  charnel  house,  or  some 
other  institution  not  kept  on  sanitary  principles.  I 
discovered  that  these  smells  emanated  from  a  glue 
factory,  and  further  enquiry  elicited  the  fact  that  this 
is  a  great  glue  centre.  The  old  horses  and  superan- 
nuated water  buffaloes,  worked  to  death  at  the  salt 
wells  about  sixty  miles  north  of  here,  are  metamor- 
phosed into  glue. 

Leaving  these  cheerful  precincts,  we  came  to  the 
carrot  market,  in  full  swing.  Carrots,  ten  inches  long, 
lying  in  great  heaps,  around  which  busy  pigtails  stood 
in  earnest  logomachy  over  the  price,  made  a  picturesque 
scene.  China  is  the  place  for  delicious,  blood-purifying 


THE  MANDARIN'S  RETREAT          141 

carrots  and  healthy  crowds.  We  crossed  the  Min  in 
a  sampan,  paying  each  two  cash,  and  climbed  up  the 
steep  bank  on  the  other  side.  Our  intention  was  to 
visit  the  "Spring  of  Perennial  Pearls,"  which  is  back 
in  the  country.  We  passed  through  a  graveyard  where 
two  stone  lions  still  stand,  true  to  the  line.  They 
were  placed  there  years  ago  to  preserve  the  geomantic 
"  status  quo."  As  we  passed  on,  I  noticed  a  peculiar 
rift  in  the  rock  which  had  evidently  been  made  by 
human  agency.  I  was  told  by  a  Chinese  gentleman 
that  it  was  cut  during  the  Taiping  Rebellion  with  a 
view  to  deceive  the  Imperial  troops  stationed  at  Suifu. 
The  rebel  army  was  small,  and  in  order  to  impress  the 
enemy,  it  marched  over  the  hill  in  full  view  to  the  cut, 
when  they  slipped  through  and  then  marched  over 
again.  The  device  presented  the  appearance  of  a  large 
army  on  the  march. 

The  old  spring  is  located  about  five  li  east  of  the 
city,  and  across  the  Min  River.  For  over  a  thousand 
years  it  has  been  the  favourite  resort  of  the  Mandarins. 
Every  official  of  any  prominence  whatever  visits  the 
"  Pearly  Water."  This  water  has  been  artificially  con- 
ducted through  the  midst  of  a  rookery.  In  the  "  Hall 
of  the  Flowing  Wine  Cup "  the  water  flows  in  a 
tortuous  course  through  a  little  channel  of  cut  stone. 
At  each  turn  is  a  seat  for  one.  A  beautiful  cup  is 
filled  with  wine  and  put  into  the  water  at  the  top  of 
the  course,  where  the  stream  enters,  and  it  floats  like 
a  little  boat  down  the  current,  and  into  whichever  nook 
it  stops,  the  Mandarin  there  must  drink  its  contents. 
The  excitement  becomes  intense  as  the  hours  go  by, 
the  feast  growing  merrier  until  it  winds  up  in  a 
"  regular  drunk."  At  this  spot  monster  Chinese  char- 
acters have  been  engraved  by  revellers  who  had  a 
poetic  turn.  Some  of  these,  which  are  not  understood 


142  THE  TEA  SHOP  TEMPLE 

except  by  the  learned  few,  are  in  the  very  ancient 
hieroglyph. 

There  are  two  pagodas.  The  Black  Pagoda,  which 
has  lost  its  top — tradition  says  that  it  flew  away  one 
dark  night — is  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Yangtze, 
and  the  White  Pagoda  is  situated  on  the  "  Seven  Star 
Hills."  In  the  Tea  Shop  Temple,  standing  near  the 
White  Pagoda,  is  a  large  image  of  the  Goddess  of 
Mercy,  sitting  on  a  huge  tiger,  which  has  a  horn  pro- 
truding from  its  forehead.  She  holds  in  her  left  hand 
a  vial  containing  the  Pills  of  Perpetual  Youth.  At 
each  side  stand  attendant  goddesses.  I  photographed 
this  group,  and  exposed  the  plate  a  minute  and  a  half. 
The  Emperor's  Tablet,  which  stands  in  the  centre, 
when  translated  literally,  means  :— 

"  May  the  Emperor  live  ten  thousand  years,  ten 
thousand  years,  and  ten  ten  thousand  years."  This 
is  equivalent  to  "  O  King,  live  for  ever." 

The  temple  is  so  named  because  in  early  times  a 
famous  tea  house  occupied  the  spot,  and  although  the 
character  of  the  place  has  changed,  tea  is  always  ready 
for  the  visitor.  The  place  is  kept  by  three  widows, 
who  have  determined  never  to  marry  again.  We  gave 
them  three  catties  of  rice  each.  I  wished  to  photo- 
graph the  idol  which  presided  there,  but  some  trim- 
mings interposed,  and  we  were  doubtful  about  asking 
the  widows  to  remove  them;  but  on  perceiving  our 
dilemma,  they  gladly  acceded  to  our  request. 

The  four  soldiers  who  had  been  deputed  to  accom- 
pany me  were  required  to  control  the  crowds  when  I 
set  up  my  camera  in  the  busy  street  to  take  a  picture 
of  the  South  Gate.  While  looking  for  a  place  to  set 
up  the  tripod,  I  stood  near  an  idol  in  a  nook  close  to 
the  gate,  and  nearly  stepped  on  a  dead  man  who  had 
been  flung  down  all  in  a  heap.  Let  it  be  said  in  praise 


xlvii 


xlviii 


MISSIONARY  PROGRESS  143 

of  the  Chinese  that  in  every  city  there  exist  certain 
benevolent  societies,  "  mindful  of  the  unhonoured 
dead,"  which  provide  coffins  for  the  departed  poor. 
Some  one  had  thrown  a  mat  over  this  poor  fellow, 
and  I  was  told  a  coffin  was  being  brought.  There  are 
in  the  temples  heaps  of  rough  coffins  for  these  emer- 
gencies. 

The  frequent  closing  of  this  busy  gate  in  times  of 
drought  must  cause  much  inconvenience,  discomfort 
and  loss  to  the  shop-keepers  and  country  people.  It 
would  have  been  shut  then  but  for  the  approaching 
New  Year,  as  it  had  not  rained  for  some  time.  The 
Mandarins  would  get  little  "  squeeze  "  from  the  shop- 
keepers near  the  gate  if  they  closed  it  at  this  busy 
season,  and  spoiled  the  prime  trade  of  the  year.  In 
China  there  is  little  universal  law;  the  Magistrate 
generally  does  what  he  likes.  In  the  city  of  Kwang- 
yuan,  for  instance,  the  gate  which  leads  to  the  largest 
portion  of  the  city  has  been  closed  for  one  hundred 
years.  The  reason  for  this  very  inconvenient  pro- 
ceeding is  that  the  Mandarin's  wife  was  unfaithful  to 
her  husband,  and  ran  away  through  that  gate.  This 
story,  I  believe,  is  authentic.  The  property  on  that 
street  would  go  up  ten  times  if  the  gate  were  opened, 
but  then  more  wives  might  escape ! 

The  French  are  now  engaged  in  building  a  railway 
from  Tonquin  to  Yunnanfu,  and  may  extend  it  to  this 
city.  They  are  buying  land  and  spending  a  deal  of 
money  in  erecting  hospitals  and  schools.  Through  the 
Catholic  missionaries  this  nation  has  pushed  forward 
her  temporal  interests  by  gaining  possession  of  land 
that  will  be  highly  valuable  in  the  future. 

The  Baptists  have  thirty-two  preaching  stations  and 
seventy-four  communicants.  They  are  very  careful 
about  receiving  members,  but  there  are  at  least  a 


144         A  CHINESE  CONGREGATION 

hundred  Chinese  at  each  of  the  stations  who  may  be 
classed  as  real  enquirers.  In  addition  there  are  over 
three  thousand  two  hundred  natives  here  who  are 
anxious  about  their  salvation.  This  is  encouraging 
to  the  missionaries,  for  even  if  only  half  this  number 
are  received  during  the  next  year  or  two,  it  will  be  a 
wonderful  ingathering.  There  is  also  a  great  demand 
for  Christian  books,  and  Mr.  Wellwood  says  that  more 
literature  has  been  distributed  this  year  than  ever  be- 
fore. Formerly  the  poorer  classes  only  were  reached 
by  the  missionaries,  but  now  the  educated  and  wealthy 
seem  anxious  to  hear  the  Gospel. 

On  Sunday,  when  I  attended  services  in  the  Baptist 
Chapel,  the  hall  was  packed  with  Chinese  whose  faces 
were  a  study.  One  reminded  me  of  Emerson,  another 
of  President  Warfield  of  Lafayette  College;  some  I 
should  not  care  to  meet  unarmed  on  a  lonely  road  and 
a  dark  night.  But  all  were  attentive.  A  few  of  the 
congregation  were  women.  Four  wore  white  turbans, 
which  indicated  that  a  death  had  occurred  in  their 
family,  as  white  is  the  mourning  color  of  the  Chinese. 
This  was  the  last  Sunday  of  the  year,  and  there  was 
a  union  service  at  which  both  Baptist  and  Inland  mis- 
sionaries spoke  fluently  and  with  good  effect  to  the 
Chinese.  The  native  converts  contribute  very  liber- 
ally, considering  their  poverty.  If  American  church 
members  gave  as  much  in  proportion,  a  readjustment 
of  the  money  market  would  become  necessary. 

The  property  now  owned  by  the  Inland  Mission 
faces  on  "  Everlasting  Prosperity "  Street,  but  the 
new  buildings  soon  to  be  erected  will  front  on  the 
"  Street  of  the  Local  Deity."  This  might  indicate 
that  Christian  missions  are  advancing  into  the  domain 
of  the  gods,  if  names  mean  anything.  There  are  fif- 
teen hundred  inquirers,  most  of  whom  are  sincere. 


PUNISHMENT  FOR  THEFT  145 

Much  interest,  indeed,  is  being  displayed  on  the  part 
of  the  Chinese  as  to  the  truth  of  Christianity,  and  the 
labourers  are  rejoicing  to  see  this  time  when  villages 
and  cities  are  calling  for  evangelists  and  offering  to 
rent,  or  even  give,  chapels,  and  pay  the  expenses  of  the 
preacher.  This  may  not  always  arise  from  the  highest 
and  purest  motives,  but  the  fact  remains  that  these 
golden  opportunities  for  great  ingatherings  are  being 
offered,  and  the  missionaries  are  pushing  the  work 
with  vigour,  caution,  and  circumspection.  There  is, 
perhaps,  some  danger  of  the  last-mentioned  quality 
being  over-emphasized. 

Last  Sunday,  near  the  North  Gate,  a  young  man 
was  bound  with  hempen  cords  to  the  city  wall,  pro- 
bably as  a  punishment  for  some.petty  theft.  His  hands 
were  bleeding  badly,  and  he  was  exhibited  as  an  object 
lesson  to  all  evil-doers. 

At  Suifu,  I  arranged  my  photographs  taken  en 
route,  and  feel  very  grateful  to  Mr.  Faers,  who  ren- 
dered me  much  assistance  in  the  work.  We  spent  a 
whole  day  at  the  elegant  and  hospitable  residence  of 
Mr.  Chen,  a  wealthy  Chinaman,  whose  son  also  helped 
me  considerably.  Mr.  Chen  lives  on  "  West-Inner- 
City- Wall-Street,"  and  is  a  man  of  property.  When 
we  had  finished  a  section  of  the  work,  this  kind  gentle- 
man would  come  in  and,  after  shaking  hands  with  him- 
self, would  conduct  me  to  a  square  table  in  his  garden 
guest  hall,  and  from  a  circular  partitioned  tray  put 
on  the  table  in  front  of  me  would  gather  a  pile  of 
divers  delicacies  made  with  sugar,  honey,  poppy  seed, 
flour,  eggs,  salt  and  pigtailed  skill.  Upon  leaving  my 
kind  host  he  presented  me  with  a  triangular  package 
containing  sweets,  and  then  would  conduct  me,  with 
true  politeness,  through  the  maze  of  his  garden  to  the 
outer  door  until  he  saw  me  safely  on  the  street.  Then 

K 


146        A  COURTEOUS  NATIVE  HOST 

he  would  shake  hands  with  himself  again,  and  as  a 
guarantee  for  my  further  security,  would  send  two  of 
his  sons  along  with  the  servants  bearing  monster  lan- 
terns like  balloons  to  light  my  way  to  the  Baptist 
Mission  House. 

"  A  proper  man,  as  one  shall  see  in  a  summer's  day." 


They  drank  blood  and  ate  herbs,  nestling  in  trees  and  dwelling 
in  caves. — Ancient  Verse. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A   ROYAL   WELCOME ROCK    CAVES THE   VIRTUES 

OF   '  BY   PROXY  ' A   STREET    MELEE ABORIGINAL 

CHIEFTAINS — OLD    HERO    BENEVOLENCE 

LACQUER   TREES. 


I 


HE  moment  the  West  Gate  was  swung 
open,  at  exactly  seven  in  the  morning, 
my  curious  caravan  filed  out  of  the 
busy  city  of  Suifu.  Fifteen  minutes 
before,  I  had  left  the  comfortable 
quarters  of  the  American  Baptist 
Mission.  A  dressed  stone  arch,  erect- 
ed to  the  memory  of  virtuous  widows, 
spanned  Ta  Chio  Street,  beyond 
which  we  turned  a  corner  with  the 
temple  of  the  god  of  Literature  on  the  right.  My 
overland  procession  was  composed  of  two  limber 
bamboo  mountain  chairs,  four  short,  stout  coolies, 
eight  thin  soldiers  and  two  Yamen  Runners.  It  made 
a  pronounced  impression,  not  the  least  impressive 
feature  being  the  foreigners  dressed  in  the  garb  of 
their  native  lands.  Early  risers  occupied  their  time 
posting  red  strips  of  paper  containing  characters  for 
New  Year  time,  on  their  doorposts.  After  passing 
through  Heavenly  Bath,  the  highway  extended  be- 
tween fields,  irrigated  and  rowing  marsh  grass  in 


H8  HUMAN  TREADMILLS 

tufts.  Human-power  treadmills,  framed  to  admit 
two  coolies  when  at  work,  were  in  use  hoisting  water 
to  the  higher  levels.  Thus  we  were  soon  fairly  off  on 
the  paved  road  leading  to  the  capital,  on  which,  it  is 
said,  one  hundred  thousand  coolies  carry  burdens. 

As  we  approached  the  village  of  Cedar  Streams,  a 
squad  of  eighteen  rifles  bearing  four  square  flags,  and 
two  long  angelic  trumpets,  met  us.  They  fired  a  salute, 
then  turned  and  escorted  us  in  great  style  to  the 
Gospel  Hall,  where  a  banquet  was  prepared  for  us. 
This  compliment  would  have  been  more  appreciated 
had  it  required  less  precious  time.  Only  two  Chris- 
tians live  in  the  town,  but  so  fast  has  the  Good  News 
spread  that  a  full  hundred  have  registered  their 
names  as  enquirers.  The  two  faithful  members  and 
various  prominent  men  presided  over  the  arrange- 
ments. After  a  long  delay,  a  monster  metal  basin 
appeared  containing  a  whole  fowl,  beak  and  all,  two 
slabs  of  pork,  and  slices  of  something  covered  with 
bread  crumbs.  This  ponderous  dish  was  promptly 
followed  by  divers  vegetable  sweets.  The  welcome  was 
royal,  and  the  converts  and  enquirers  impressed  me 
with  their  gentlemanly  bearing  and  intelligence. 

"  Peaceful  Slope "  is  ninety  leagues  from  Suifu. 
One  coolie  got  stuck  in  the  fine  sand  near  the  place, 
but  we  sent  a  relief  party  and  got  him  out.  This 
small  city  lies  between  the  River  of  Golden  Sand  and 
the  Horizontal  Stream,  Hankiang  at  the  junction. 
Here  is  a  Gospel  Hall  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  en- 
quirers, who  are  mostly  of  the  sensible  middle  class. 
A  messenger  had  been  despatched  to  request  that  boats 
be  ready  to  take  us  on  a  fifty  li  trip  up  the  Horizontal 
Stream,  but  so  curious  were  the  people  to  see  more  of 
us  that  they  neglected  that  important  business.  We 
soon  came  up  and  secured  two  craft.  The  authorities 


A  WAYSIDE  INN  149 

told  off  eleven  riflemen  and  eight  trackers  to  accom- 
pany us.  A  week  before,  a  missionary  had  been 
attacked  by  thirty  roughs  and  only  escaped  by  dis- 
playing suggestively  a  repeating  rifle.  We  were  now 
out  of  the  track  of  foreign  travel.  The  water  of  the 
Horizontal  Stream  is  so  pure  and  clear  that  the  round- 
ed pebbles  on  the  bottom  can  be  seen.  The  contrast  of 
this  stream  with  the  yellow  Yangtze  is  most  pleasing. 
The  river  is  not  over  one  hundred  yards  wide,  and  the 
swift  waters  flow  along  graceful  slopes  and  through 
rugged  mountains.  On  the  steep  sides  of  the  hills,  in 
all  sorts  of  impossible  situations,  afe  small  mud  huts 
surrounded  with  bamboo  in  beautiful  groves. 

The  skipper  of  the  strange  craft  in  which  I  was  trav- 
elling had  an  earnest  face,  but  no  upper  teeth,  which 
gave  his  nose  the  appearance  of  being  about  to  fall 
into  his  mouth.  Once  he  shouted  to  the  trackers, 
"  Step  out,  you  will  get  there  if  you  go  on/'  Twenty 
li  further  on,  we  ascended  the  Crystal  Rapids,  Min 
Tan.  Here  is  a  small  thatched  lean-to  inn,  where  re- 
cently a  murder  was  committed.  It  is  the  old  story 
of  two  partners;  one  killed  the  other  to  obtain  all  the 
silver.  The  mother  of  the  victim  asked  the  partner 
what  had  become  of  her  son.  He  feigned  ignorance. 
But  murder  will  out,  even  in  China.  She  employed  a 
trusty  coolie,  who,  with  an  accomplice,  traced  the 
guilty  man  and  brought  him  one  night  to  this  lean-to 
inn.  They  drank  wine  with  him,  and  in  the  dull  dark- 
ness of  the  early  morning  enticed  him  along  the  lonely 
rugged  path,  where  they  stabbed  him  and  flung  his 
bleeding  body  into  the  Crystal  Rapid.  Night  fell  be- 
fore we  reached  the  landing  stage,  and  the  last  few 
li  were  done  in  the  dark.  Once  we  bumped  on  a  rock, 
but  these  river  boats  are  made  with  plank  with  plenty 
of  "  give  "  in  them,  or  we  should  have  gone  down.  On 


150  ROCK  CAVES 

the  shore  some  people  were  having  a  bonfire  of  paper 
money  for  the  dead  to  pay  their  fare  with  in  the  spirit 
land.  A  large  escort  was  awaiting  us  at  the  village  of 
Huangkiang,  and  we  were  conducted  to  Shining  Glory 
Inn,  where  a  sumptuous  meal  was  prepared,  beds 
draped  and  everything  done  up  in  more  than  Celestial 
style.  The  place  boasts  twenty  temples  and  one  school 
supported  by  public  subscription,  one  thousand  fam- 
ilies, twenty  medicine  shops  and  ten  undertakers'  es- 
tablishments. The  Gospel  Hall  is  without  members, 
but  has  eighty  enrolled  enquirers.  We  had  come  two 
"  stages,"  as  the  coolies  term  it,  to-day.  A  stage  in 
Central  China  is  ninety  li. 

The  second  day  out  of  Suifu  takes  one  from  Huan- 
kiang  to  Taitingchang.  We  made  a  good  start,  and 
did  not  get  Early  Rice  till  nine  o'clock.  Two  hours 
later  we  came  upon  a  series  of  Cliff  Houses.  It  was 
near  the  summit  of  Rat  Mountain  that  I  discovered 
these  interesting  relics  of  past  ages.  A  little  way  be- 
yond Fire-Burning-Place,  Ho  Shao  Tien,  situated  on 
the  summit  ridge  of  the  lofty  mountain  and  a  few  yards 
below  the  road,  is  a  series  of  perpendicular  rock  faces, 
in  which  are  cut  a  dozen  doors  some  three  feet  high 
and  eighteen  inches  wide.  One  of  the  projecting 
bosses  of  rock  had  been  carved  into  the  shape  of  a 
human  face,  of  which  the  door  formed  the  mouth,  a 
projecting  part  the  nose,  and  on  either  side  of  the  an- 
gle of  rock  eyes  and  eyebrows  were  cut.  The  chamber 
into  which  one  of  these  openings  led  was  octagonal  in 
shape,  four  feet  high  and  ten  feet  across.  On  the  out- 
side, by  the  doors  of  all  the  Cliff  Houses,  figures  have 
been  cut  bearing  a  marked  resemblance  to  Egyptian 
design.  The  figures  are  evidently  war  gods,  for  in 
a  firm  grasp  they  carry  battle-axes  with  a  spike  op- 
posite the  blade.  Some  of  the  figures  are  in  profile 


ANCIENT  SCULPTURE  151 

with  the  feet  turned  out,  and  they  wear  accordion- 
pleated  kilts  down  to  the  knees.  This,  instead  of  be- 
ing in  long,  straight  pleats,  is  in  seven  rows  of  tucks. 
Other  faces  are  full,  and  I  noticed  one  with  oblique 
eyes.  Some  figures  stand  out  in  relief;  others  are  in- 
ferior and  engraved  on  the  stone.  Some  are  almost 
obliterated ;  others  are  in  a  good  state  of  preservation. 
The  man  at  the  Fire  Burning  Place  was  a  new  ar- 
rival, and  knew  little  about  the  caves,  but  said  there 
was  a  tradition  that  they  were  inhabited  a  thousand 
years  ago,  but  a  purely  Chinese  estimate  of  time  is 
of  little  value.  These  barbarian  cliff  dwellers  had  an 
eye  to  business.  All  the  caves  had  a  southern  aspect 
commanding  an  extensive  view  and  are  furnished  with 
large,  heavy  carved  slabs  to  work  in  grooves  as  doors. 
They  are  over  four  thousand  feet  above  sea  level,  the 
view  from  them  being  one  of  the  finest  I  have  seen 
anywhere.  The  air  is  wonderfully  pure  and  bracing, 
and  the  ancient  cliff  dwellers  must  have  been  a  hardy 
race  of  men.  Leaving  these  interesting  relics  of  the 
dim  past,  we  descended  into  the  valley.  At  a  tea 
shop,  one  of  the  soldiers,  having  a  disagreement  with 
a  coolie,  said  to  him,  "  Curse  your  ancestors."  That 
day  I  had  covered  fully  one  hundred  li  over  moun- 
tains. Just  before  we  arrived  at  the  All-Three-Inn,  the 
owner  went  with  his  valuables  to  a  fortress  on  a  hill 
for  the  night.  The  building  is  very  large,  sandwiched 
in  between  the  rapid  river  and  a  wall  of  rock.  The 
architecture  suggests  a  temple,  a  comfortable  place  in 
which  to  spend  the  night  if  you  wear  Chinese  garments. 
On  the  following  day  we  got  off  at  the  usual  hour 
and  stopped  at  the  Heavenly  Rapids  for  Early  Rice 
at  nine  A.M.  I  like  to  walk  about  thirty  li  before 
breakfast.  It  was  exactly  seven-forty-five  by  my  watch 
when  we  crossed  the  line  separating  the  two  Provinces 


152    THE  MAN  WITH  THE  YELLOW  BAG 

of  Szechuen  and  Yunnan.  The  line,  a  vine  trained 
to  hang  there  as  a  boundary  mark,  was  suspended  from 
a  ledge  of  rocks  about  three  hundred  feet  high. 
This  was  the  first  time  I  had  met  with  such  a  thing, 
as  lines  of  this  kind  are  usually  imaginary,  but  the 
Chinese  are  practical  people,  and  I  was  told  that  the 
vine  had  been  planted  and  trained  by  the  civil  author- 
ities. I  saw  snow  on  the  Mountains  of  Yunnan,  a 
beautiful  sight,  with  mists  floating  just  above  the  white 
line.  And  here  I  was  in  another  of  the  great  divisions 
of  the  Celestial  Empire.  When  I  stopped  for  Early 
Rice  all  the  coolies  came  up  except  the  man  with  the 
yellow  bag  containing  my  valuable  papers  and  large 
camera.  We  feared  that  he  had  been  attacked  by  rob- 
bers, and  I  became  anxious.  One  of  the  runners  said 
that  the  missing  coolie  had  hired  another  to  carry  the 
bag  and  had  afterwards  fallen  down  a  cliff.  This 
sounded  like  robbery.  So  I  shouldered  the  repeating 
rifle,  and  Old  Hero  Benevolence  took  his  musket,  and 
we  went  off  in  search.  Mr.  Wellwood  enlisted  some 
men,  and  finally  caught  up  with  us.  I  had  noticed 
a  man  like  mine  leave  the  big  road  and  disappear  up 
the  mountain.  "  Robbery  sure  enough,"  I  said,  "  and 
one  of  the  rascals  is  escaping."  We  united  our  forces 
at  a  thatched  tea  house  on  the  edge  of  a  ravine,  and 
went  on  ten  li,  when  we  discovered  the  bag.  The 
carrier  had  fallen,  and  the  bow-legged  coolie,  instead 
of  bringing  it  into  the  village,  had  waited  till  he 
could  get  someone  else  to  carry  it  for  him.  The 
soldier  gave  him  a  severe  cuffing  for  his  stupidity.  For 
some  natives  there  is  nothing  like  the  Argumentum 
ad  baculum. 

During  the  day  we  came  into  the  cactus  section. 
All  the  time  the  scenery  has  been  grand.  I  had  gone 
a  hundred  and  twelve  li  that  day,  walked  all  the  way, 


TOMBS  OF  THE  MING  DYNASTY      153 

and  still  found  myself  fresh.  Twenty  li  north  of  Sing- 
gee  Pin,  where  I  was  to  spend  the  night  in  the  Great- 
Large-Prospect  Inn,  is  the  village  of  all  ears,  Pu  Erh 
Tu,  where  are  some  of  the  tombs  of  the  Ming  Dy- 
nasty. There  is  a  remarkable  one  near  the  village. 
Among  a  large  number  of  tombs  some  have  been  built 
at  great  expense;  one  cost  over  ten  thousand  ounces 
of  silver,  and  contains  the  body  of  a  chieftain  and  his 
six  quiet  wives.  The  interior  is  of  fine  design,  the 
roof  arched,  and  the  sides  of  carved  lattice  work.  The 
entrance  is  into  a  chamber,  then  follow  a  succession 
of  chambers,  the  corridor  being  through  carved  arch- 
ways which  present  a  fine  appearance.  These  tombs 
are  in  out-of-the-way  places,  to  avoid  being  destroyed, 
the  barbarous  custom  of  one  dynasty,  upon  coming 
into  power,  being  to  destroy  the  tombs  of  the  former 
dynasty.  Some  wealthy  men  have  been  known  to  hire 
labourers  from  a  distance ;  while  others,  after  the  com- 
pletion of  a  magnificent  sepulchre,  would  arrange  a 
banquet  in  the  inner  chamber  in  commemoration  of 
its  completion,  invite  all  the  workmen,  fill  them  with 
wine,  and  then  seal  up  the  entrance  that  none  might 
tell  the  story  of  the  location  and  the  magic  doors. 
This  method  is  similar  to  the  system  adopted  by  the 
ancient  Kings  of  Sardis.  It  was  an  ancient  custom 
of  the  Chinese  to  dispatch  their  wives  and  slaves  of 
the  man  who  died;  but  that  is  now  done  by  paper 
proxy.  The  Chinese  are  great  believers  in  proxy;  in- 
deed, were  it  not  for  proxy  they  would  find  it  difficult 
to  get  on  politically,  socially,  or  religiously.  Next  to 
Confucius,  the  Chinese  admire  proxy.  At  Chinese 
funerals  it  is  an  ordinary  sight  to  witness  the  carrying 
in  procession  of  many  paper  figures,  which  are  subse- 
quently burned.  These  represent  the  wives,  servants, 
and  slaves,  and  are  to  furnish  him  with  a  household  in 


154  A  STREET  MELEE 

the  land  of  the  spirits.  The  Chinaman  is  a  good  exam- 
ple of  the  "  pagan  suckled  in  a  creed  outworn." 

On  the  last  day  of  the  Old  (Chinese)  Year,  the  peo- 
ple were  making  great  preparations,  and  many  a  chicken 
had  crowed  his  last  challenge.  There  was  a  fight  in 
the  street  near  the  inn  that  evening,  and  we  stopped 
it.  Later  another  occurred,  the  incentive  being  filthy 
lucre.  A  pigtail  tried  to  collect  a  debt,  and  the  debtor 
got  some  militiamen  to  side  with  him.  The  creditor 
was  pounced  upon  and  would  likely  have  been  killed 
but  for  the  timely  intervention  of  Mr.  Wellwood,  who 
jumped  into  the  mob  to  assist  the  poor  fellow,  who 
was  down.  In  the  dim  light  a  native,  not  discerning 
that  a  foreigner  was  there,  drew  a  dagger.  When  I 
came  up  and  saw  the  glint  of  steel,  I  thought  it  was 
meant  for  the  missionary,  and  promptly  took  a  hand 
in  the  row.  First  I  grabbed  two  Chinamen  by  the 
throat,  and  flung  them  off,  and  then  took  another  with 
a  round  turn.  I  believe  in  a  round  turn:  at  college 
I  was  taught  that  curved  lines  are  more  beautiful  than 
straight.  The  ruffian  turned  on  me,  but  having  seen 
the  kind  of  weapon  he  handled,  I  thought  it  was  time 
for  business.  The  flash  of  the  nickel  plate  and  the 
persuasiveness  of  the  open  barrel  pointing  toward  him 
were  too  much,  and  the  fellow  ran  out  into  the  night 
as  if  the  chief  of  the  spirits  were  after  him.  This  row 
is  a  sample  of  what  happens  in  every  part  of  China  on 
this  night.  Many  will  commit  suicide  because  of  debt ; 
others  will  run  away,  and  still  others  will  be  hunting 
for  those  who  owe  them  money. 

It  was  only  after  no  ordinary  amount  of  persuasion, 
and  the  promise  of  special  terms,  that  my  men  had 
agreed  to  go  seventy  li  to-day,  seeing  that  it  was  the 
holiday  of  all  the  year.  So  we  made  a  short  march, 
intending  to  make  up  for  it  during  the  following  days 


DISASTER  AT  HEN  RIVER  155 

by  long  stages.  We  went  to  Cormorant  Rapids  in 
good  form,  and  gave  the  coolies  a  present  of  pork. 
All  day  we  travelled  along  a  beautiful  river,  beholding 
scenery  that  was  becoming  more  and  more  rugged 
and  grand.  The  village  at  the  Rapids  has  a  popula- 
tion of  some  three  thousand  souls.  Anthracite  coal  is 
found  near  by,  and  is  sold  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  cash  for  twenty  catties.  Here  is  a  suspen- 
sion bridge  built  of  iron  eye-bars,  which  I  photo- 
graphed. A  few  years  ago,  on  the  evening  of  the  Drag- 
on Festival  in  the  fifth  Moon  the  bridge  was  crowded  to 
witness  a  competition  in  the  Hen  River,  of  boats,  for 
live  ducks  flung  from  the  bridge  by  wealthy  residents. 
At  one  exciting  point  there  was  a  general  lunge  of  the 
people  to  the  north  side  of  the  bridge.  A  weak  bar 
on  that  side  snapped,  and  then  the  people  rushed  back 
to  the  other  side,  whereupon  a  large  bar  on  that  side 
broke,  and,  with  a  tremendous  crash,  accompanied 
by  terrific  screams,  the  bridge  gave  way,  and  four 
hundred  were  drowned.  The  casualty  was  so  great  on 
account  of  the  Cormorant  Rapids  just  below,  where 
many  a  struggling  victim  was  engulfed  in  the  turbulent 
waters.  A  man,  holding  a  little  son  in  his  arms,  was 
standing  on  a  parapet  at  the  side.  He  became  so 
frightened  by  the  disaster  that  he  fell  over  the  stone 
work  and  was  smashed  to  pieces  on  the  rocks  at  the 
bottom,  but  kept  his  arms  so  tightly  around  the  child 
that  it  was  unhurt.  The  present  bridge  is  unsafe,  as 
the  inside  of  the  iron  bars  is  badly  worked,  and  a  sim- 
ilar disaster  might  easily  occur.  I  have  come  from 
Suifu  to  this  place  in  less  than  three  and  a  half  days. 
The  usual  time  is  six  days. 

At  six-thirty  A.M.,  on  the  fifth  day,  we  made  the 
start,  as  we  had  one  hundred  and  twenty  li  to  go 
to-day  and  the  road  was  mountainous.  I  said  fare- 


156  A  RARE  EXPERIENCE 

well  to  Wellwood  of  the  American  Baptist  Mission,  a 
man  who  has  adopted  a  vigorous  policy  and  is  doing 
a  very  successful  work.  Wellwood  is  an  honest  and 
helpful  man.  He  one  day  offered  me  his  square  mir- 
ror, which  I  politely  refused,  but  later,  got  round  a 
corner  and  used  my  circular  one,  and  was  surprised 
to  find  the  very  "  tough  "  appearance  presented  by  a 
black  sweater,  "awfully"  slouch  hat,  "  dreadfully " 
tan  shoes,  and  some  whipcord  cloth  which  hung  on 
a  frame  work  over  six  feet  high.  At  night,  in  the  inn, 
a  man  holds  a  native  candle  right  over  the  keys  of 
my  typewriter  to  see  them  work,  and  others  lean  over 
the  table.  I  have  gotten  in  ahead  of  the  caravan,  and 
am  not  letting  them  know  that  I  understand  a  word  of 
Chinese.  It  is  a  fine  experience.  I  have  to-day  done 
two  days'  travelling,  and  have  passed  the  snow  line, 
the  cloud  line,  and  over  a  mountain  four  thousand  feet 
high,  and  am  now  having  a  good  ending  to  the  day. 
I  am  being  crammed  with  kindness.  The  Chinese 
have  never  before  seen  a  typewriter.  The  coolies  are 
bringing  in  the  boxes.  Just  now  I  took  the  sheet  out 
of  my  machine  and  threw  away  the  carbon  paper. 
Amazement  sat  all  over  their  faces  to  think  I  could 
write  two  at  one  time.  The  proprietor  is  now  feeling 
the  buttons  of  my  coat.  He  has  dilated  over  the  re- 
peating rifle  and  looked  over  the  hand  camera  and  the 
yellow  bag.  A  neighbour  brings  in  a  chubby  Chinese 
baby  to  see  the  strange  man  with  the  strange  machine. 
It  is  great  fun.  They  make  large  anxious  eyes  and 
want  to  know  about  the  things  from  distant  lands. 
Let  the  Chinese  obtain  a  Western  civilization  minus 
the  Western  extravagance  and  they  will  wake  up  this 
old  planet.  This  village  is  in  the  mountains,  and  there 
being  no  fire-pot,  I  am  writing  and  shivering  with  cold. 
My  fur  coat  is  with  the  caravan.  A  boy  of  ten  has 


DRAWING  A  PIG  157 

come  in.  I  made  the  Chinese  salutation  to  him  by 
shaking  hands  with  myself,  but  he  got  scared  and  ran 
off.  I  called  the  Chinese  word  "  come,"  and  he  re- 
turned and  made  the  bow,  and  all  were  pleased.  This 
is  transpiring  in  a  dingy  room  at  the  back  end  of  an 
open  court  occupied  by  fowls,  swine  and  human  fig- 
ures. How  easily  could  they  have  pushed  me  off  a 
precipice  when  I  was  travelling  along  the  wild  road 
approaching  this  hamlet  of  the  mountaineers,  and, 
were  it  Boxer  time,  my  life  might  be  sacrificed  to  the 
mad  rage  of  an  angry  mob.  But  usually  the  dwellers 
on  the  Hills  of  T'ang  are  a  kind,  peaceful  people.  I 
ordered  supper  by  drawing  a  picture  of  a  pig,  but  they 
went  off  and  returned  with  a  piece  of  sooty  meat  which 
once  belonged  to  some  wild  animal  and  had  been  hang- 
ing by  a  string  in  some  smoky  place.  Was  it  tiger, 
leopard  or  cos?  I  know  not.  Then  my  artistic  pride 
was  aroused.  The  very  idea  that  I  should  draw  a 
picture  of  a  pig  and  not  have  it  recognized  by  Pigtails 
was  "  enthusing."  Then  I  gathered  myself  together 
and  drew  another  picture  of  a  pig  like  this — 


I  was  getting  hungry,  and  in  my  despair  I  did  my  best, 
and  I  am  no  mean  artist,  as  the  above  efforts  prove, 
but  they  were  perplexed  more  than  ever.  Then  I 
pointed  to  it  and  grunted,  but  of  no  avail.  By  and 
by,  I  crowed  like  a  rooster,  or  as  nearly  like  it  as 
possible,  but  I  struck  a  new  species  which  they  had 
ever  heard.  I  next  tried  drawing  an  egg  and  crow- 


158  ABORIGINAL  CHIEFTAINS 

ing,  but  that  failed  too,  so  I  returned  to  the  picture  of 
a  pig  and  made  motion  as  if  rooting  in  the  ground. 
Whereupon  a  man  ran  off  and  came  back  with  a  chunk 
of  pork.  But  how  much  did  I  want?  I  made  signs 
by  pointing  to  the  table  where  the  visitors  would  sit. 
They  understood  there  would  be  three,  but  would  they 
eat  as  much  as  natives?  Then  off  a  fellow  ran  and 
came  back  with  scales.  All  this  in  my  private  room. 
With  a  knife  they  indicated  whether  it  should  be  cut  lat- 
itudinally  or  longitudinally,  so  I  made  a  gesture  and  the 
knife  went  through,  after  a  long  discussion.  It  was 
weighed  and  signs  made  how  much,  but  I  failed  in 
reading  their  well-meant  antics.  All  the  while  the 
greatest  good  humor  and  desire  to  help  me  prevailed. 

The  views  on  "  Pearl  Mountain  "  rival  Switzerland, 
the  invigorating  air  is  not  excelled  in  the  Rockies,  and 
the  houses  of  Gini  Po  are  stone,  and  resemble  those 
in  the  villages  of  Shetland.  The  tea  and  other  boxes 
of  goods  going  north  on  long  lines  of  ponies  and  don- 
keys were  other  incidents  of  a  very  full  day. 

In  the  course  of  the  journey  that  followed  from  Gini 
Po  to  Shin  Gai,  we  passed  many  villages  with  square 
towers.  Indeed,  the  towers  were  a  distinctive  feature 
of  the  landscape.  There  are  thousands  of  them  in 
the  Prefecture  of  Chowtung.  They  were  built  orig- 
inally as  a  defence  against  the  dreaded  Mantze — a 
semi-independent  race  living  across  the  Yangtze  in 
Szechuen.  On  the  way  down  we  passed  several  for- 
tified dwellings  of  the  aboriginal  chieftains  who  rule 
over  their  domain  almost  independently  of  Chinese 
control.  Their  retainers  and  families  are  in  practical 
slavery  to  them,  and  can  be  punished  and,  in  some 
cases,  even  killed  without  reference  to  Chinese  law. 
Some  of  the  dwelling-places  are  in  lofty  and  impreg- 
nable situations.  These  people  do  not  intermarry  to 


SUPPRESSING  A  REBEL  159 

any  extent  with  the  Chinese.  They  divide  themselves 
into  two  classes,  the  Black  Bones  and  the  White 
Bones,  the  Blacks  being  the  "  blue  bloods,"  who  never 
intermarry  with  the  Whites. 

All  this  day  I  had  been  going  up,  even  when  going 
down.  The  River  Ta  Kuan  (or  Hen)  was  flowing  in 
the  opposite  direction.  This  river  consists  of  a  con- 
stant succession  of  rapids,  and  the  green  water,  with 
dashes  of  snowballs  in  it,  and  the  constant  roar  of  the 
rapids,  combine  to  make  it  more  interesting  still.  The 
lofty  mountains  overlooking  this  stream,  and  covered 
with  snow,  make  a  picture  that  would  delight  the  heart 
of  a  Turner.  It  was  about  ten-thirty  A.M.  when  we 
began  to  ascend  the  "  New  Road."  To  talk  of  a  new 
road  in  China,  where  the  tracks  date  back  thousands 
of  years,  is  startling.  But  here  it  is,  built  by  the  Tao- 
ists,  new  and  creditably.  It  consists  partly  of  stone 
steps.  A  third  of  the  way  up  at  one  turning,  a  smiling 
god  makes  the  traveller  forget  his  weariness.  Half-way 
to  the  top  I  stepped  into  a  little  tea  house,  and  here 
came  upon  four  Taoist  priests,  who  received  me  kindly, 
furnished  me  with  tea,  and  declined  to  be  remunerated. 

The  Ta  Kuan  River  here  branches  off,  and  is  known 
as  the  Ko  Kuei.  I  took  a  photo  at  the  fork.  The 
latter  drains  a  beautiful  lake  in  the  Province  of  Kwei- 
chow,  and  the  view  here  is  one  of  the  finest  I  have  seen 
in  China.  At  the  junction  of  the  two  beautiful  rivers 
was  once  the  grave  of  the  mother  of  Li  Tuan  Tata 
(the  man  with  a  short  pigtail).  This  Li  became 
a  famous  and  successful  rebel  during  the  present 
dynasty,  and 'wrought  great  damage  in  the  Province 
of  Szechuen.  As  the  Government  soldiers  were 
wholly  unable  to  cope  with  his  skill  and  daring,  many 
consultations  were  held  by  the  authorities,  in  order 
to  consider  how  best  to  deal  with  the  doughty 


160  TURTLE  HILL 

chieftain.  They  finally  concluded  to  break  the  "  fung 
shui "  by  tearing  open  the  grassy  grave  of  his  mother. 
With  savage  delight  the  officials  visited  the  point 
where  the  Hen  bifurcates,  violated  the  grave  and 
"  destroyed  the  corpse."  By  doing  so  the  good  luck 
which  came  to  the  family  as  the  result  of  burying  on 
the  Dragon's  pulse  was  destroyed!  Soon  after  this 
the  rebel  power  was  broken  and  the  Great  Leader 
killed. 

We  stopped  that  night  and  Sunday  at  Shin  Gai, 
North,  a  miserable  village  of  thirty  families,  where 
the  Evangelist  Stephen  preached  to  the  people.  When 
he  had  finished,  an  old  man  who  was  not  a  Christian, 
but  who  was  rather  inclined  to  the  new  doctrine,  read 
to  the  people  out  of  a  book. 

Leaving  Shin  Gai,  North,  on  Monday,  the  cavalcade 
took  Early  Rice  at  Takuan,  a  Prefectural  city  which 
has  never  regained  the  glory  it  possessed  before  the 
Great  Rebellion.  Only  yellow  dogs  and  black  hogs 
appeared  to  be  alive.  The  shops  were  closed  for  New 
Year,  and  the  whole  place,  with  its  tumble-down 
houses,  presented  a  deserted  appearance.  The  fur- 
rows of  "  Stern  Ruin's  ploughshare  "  were  evidenced 
everywhere.  The  most  conspicuous  feature  of  the  land- 
scape at  Takuan  is  Turtle  Hill,  on  the  summit  of 
which  is  a  red  tower  and  a  white  temple.  The  head  of 
this  monster  turtle  is  turned  toward  Yunnan,  and  the 
popular  superstition  is  that  it  absorbs  the  influences 
which  make  for  fertility  and  prosperity,  in  Yunnan, 
and  by  some  process  of  digestion  manufactures  the 
solid  riches  and  passes  them  out  into  the  Province  of 
Szechuen.  Hence  the  poverty  of  the  former  and  the 
wealth  of  the  latter.  To  modify  this  as  far  as  possible, 
the  temple  has  been  erected  on  the  back  of  the  turtle, 
and  a  reliable  god  put  in  charge. 


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OLD  HERO  BENEVOLENCE  161 

Among  the  body-guard  to  whom  my  personal 
safety  had  been  entrusted  by  the  Prefect  Wen. of 
Suifu,  and  who  were  charged  to  conduct  me  to 
Takuan,  the  headquarters  of  another  Prefect,  was 
one  Chen,  a  name  in  China  similar  to  Smith.  His 
whole  name  meant  "  Old  Benevolence,"  but  he  was 
only  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  and  both  his  parents 
were  living.  His  military  designation  was  Left 
Company  Second  Class  Suifu  "  Learn  Army."  After 
four  years'  service  he  was  getting  only  three  thousand 
cash  a  month,  out  of  which  he  had  to  feed  himself. 
His  uniform  was  that  of  the  Suifu  Guards,  and  out- 
wardly consisted  of  a  red  coat  with  a  belt.  Big  char- 
acters on  the  front  and  back  told  the  trembling  civilian 
what  he  was.  His  trousers  were  blue,  while  about  the 
ankles  was  tightly  wound  cloth  of  an  indifferent  colour. 
His  feet  were  encased  in  open  straw  sandals,  and  a 
round  hat  nearly,  if  not  quite,  two  feet  in  diameter  hid 
his  pigtail.  Under  the  outer  belt  he  carried  another, 
three  inches  wide  and  full  of  partitions,  in  which  his 
valuables  were  stowed  away. 

I  called  him  "  Old  Hero  Benevolence,"  as  soldiers 
are  referred  to  as  heroes.     He  was  a  pure  heathen, 
but  a  kind  one.     At  Takuan  the  new  guard  did  not 
put  in  an  appearance,  and  so  I  refused  to  release  the 
Suifu  Guards  till  the  other  men  arrived.     My  escort, 
however,  forsook  me  at  the  East  Gate,  although  I 
had  not  given  them  my  card  to  take  back  to  the  Pre- 
fect at  Suifu  as  evidence  that  they  had  performed 
their  duty;  all  except  Old  Hero  Benevolence,  who  re- 
mained steadfast.    When  he  wanted  to  return,  he  made 
|  obeisance  by  shaking  hands  with  himself.     I  had  not 
done   with   him   yet,    so   I    refused   to   acknowledge 
I  the  formality.     Then  he  gave  the  military  salute  of 
>  dropping  on  one  knee,  but  this  I  also  waved  away, 
L 


162  A  KINDLY  HEATHEN 

Finally  he  tried  the  effect  of  falling  upon  his  knees  and 
striking  his  head  on  the  ground,  but  without  avail.  I 
insisted  that  he  should  continue  with  me,  and  handed 
him  the  great  repeating  rifle,  which  he  had  been  proud 
to  carry.  He  shouldered  it  and  strode  off  smiling.  It 
was  another  cold  stretch  of  two  hundred  li,  which  he 
had  not  bargained  for,  and  for  which  no  allowance 
of  money  had  been  made  him  by  the  Prefect,  yet  he 
moved  off  without  grumbling  or  sulkiness.  He  has  re- 
mained with  me  from  that  moment.  He  has  run  with 
me  over  the  mountains,  skipping  like  a  deer  to  keep 
ahead  when  I  have  been  making  time;  he  has  lent 
me  cash  when  mine  was  exhausted;  he  has  bought 
things  for  me,  taking  the  advantage  a  Chinaman  al- 
ways does  when  making  a  purchase,  but  that  advantage 
has  gone  to  me.  This  is  a  remarkable  experience.  On 
the  cold  mountains  that  day  he  paid  for  the  pears 
which  I  bought  without  -  having  the  money  to  settle 
for,  and  then  ate  the  core  and  was  grateful  for  it. 
Those  rusty  coat  pears,  three  inches  in  diameter,  cost 
but  eight  cash  each,  or  about  one-third  of  an  American 
cent,  but  he  could  not  afford  such  luxuries.  He  has 
never  attempted  to  take  his  meals  until  I  have  indi- 
cated that  he  might  do  so,  and  his  amiability  has  never 
deserted  him.  In  the  early  morning  it  has  been  Old 
Hero  Benevolence  who  has  shouted,  "  Quick,  quick," 
to  the  others,  and  on  the  road  when  the  coolies  carry- 
ing my  special  baggage  were  lagging,  his  has  been  the 
task  to  hurry  them  up.  When  I  have  been  taking  pho- 
tographs, he  has  quieted  the  people.  He  was  always 
at  my  heels,  or  just  before  me,  with  that  fifteen  re- 
peater. The  other  day  I  struck  off,  when  the  men  were 
resting,  to  take  a  picture,  but  Old  Benevolence  was  after 
me  with  that  rifle.  If  a  dog  dared  to  molest  me,  the 
butt-end  of  the  rifle  was  promptly  applied  to  the  corre- 


A  KIND  WORD  FOR  THE  CHINESE  163 

spending  end  of  the  canine  offender !  Truly,  "  Worth 
makes  the  man,  and  want  of  it  the  fellow." 

His  kind  face  and  cheerful  smile  I  shall  miss.  I 
was  really  sorry  to  part  with  him.  As  before  stated, 
he  was  a  pure  heathen,  still  I  like  heathen  of  his  ilk. 
He  ate  and  smoked  opium,  drank  wine,  gambled  with 
dice  and  dominoes,  worshipped  Heaven  and  Earth,  and 
bowed  before  his  favourite  idol  when  passing  it  in  a 
wayside  shrine.  This  idol  was  the  "  chief  of  the  spir- 
its," a  hideous  creature  with  two  teeth  like  horns  pro- 
truding from  the  upper  jaw,  while  in  his  extended  left 
hand  an  ugly  sword  was  held.  The  whole  aspect  was 
frightful.  On  New  Year's  Day  he  placed  a  cap  on  his 
old  musket  and  fired  it  off  near  the  idol  to  let  him  know 
that  Old  Hero  Benevolence  had  not  forgotten  to  hon- 
our him;  and  yet  with  all  these  faults  and  follies,  I 
liked  this  bare-footed  heathen  hero.  There  are  many 
like  him  in  Qiina  waiting  to  be  saved  from  their  super- 
stitions. He  asked  for  a  remedy  for  opium  eating; 
poor  fellow,  he  was  genuinely  anxious  to  be  freed  from 
the  dreadful  slavery  of  the  drug. 

He  was  proud  of  carrying  the  great  rifle,  and  when 
I  was  not  looking,  he  would  take  aim  and  imagine  the 
quarry  had  been  bagged.  When  I  fired  the  gun,  he 
would  jump  with  delight  for  the  empty  cartridge  shell. 
If  I  ate  the  yoke  out  of  a  boiled  egg,  and  give  him  the 
shell  containing  the  white,  or  left  some  bits  of  food 
especially  for  him  in  the  basin,  so  he  could  get  it,  he 
was  quite  gratified.  Poor  heathen!  had  he  been  born 
in  a  Christian  land,  reared  in  a  home  of  culture  and 
had  the  advantage  of  a  Western  College,  what  might 
he  not  have  been?  But  he  belonged  to  a  race  de- 
spised by  many  of  my  countrymen!  That  race  I 
shall  despise  no  longer.  When  I  return  home,  even 
the  laundryman  with  his  pigtail  shall  have  kinder 


164  GRATUITIES  OF  PORK 

treatment,  because  on  every  hand  these  people  have 
been  kind  to  me.  And  if  only  for  Old  Hero  Benevo- 
lence's sake,  in  foreign  lands  I  must  always  have  a 
kind  word  for  the  Chinese  people.  The  effect  of 
travel  is  always  to  teach  one  to  "  condemn  the  fault 
and  not  the  actor  of  it."  One  day  Old  Hero  Benevo- 
lence tried  to  get  me  to  stop  ten  li  short  of  where  I 
had  decided  to  rest  for  the  night,  but  when  I  spoke 
the  final  word,  he  was  off  with  a  good  grace.  Maybe 
he  hoped  to  profit  by  his  obedience;  if  so  he  was  not 
to  be  disappointed.  But  that  is  not  all.  It  is  true 
that  the  day  before  the  New  Year  he  turned,  smiled, 
and  said  in  very  respectful  language,  "  We  are  going 
to  take  your  Excellency  from  one  year  into  another, 
and  we  hope  to  enjoy  your  Excellency's  grace."  Had 
he  said  "  Your  Excellency's  grease  "  to  make  the  way 
easy  from  one  year  to  another,  it  would  have  meant 
the  same.  It  was  pork  they  expected,  as  a  treat  for 
working  on  the  one  day  of  the  whole  year,  when  every 
Chinaman  stops  wrork  and  salutes.  I  did  not  want  the 
bother  of  getting  pork  for  them  myself,  so  gave  them 
the  "  wherewithal "  to  get  it  themselves,  and  they 
seemed  perfectly  satisfied. 

Seeing  him  so  prompt  and  hearty,  I  early  picked 
out  Old  Hero  Benevolence  from  the  others  and  hon- 
oured him  with  plenty  of  work.  He  never  waited  for 
me  to  ask  him  to  carry  my  long  coat,  but  offered  to 
do  it  himself;  and  when  it  was  supposed  that  robbers 
had  stolen  my  yellow  bag,  it  was  he  who  went  back 
with  me,  seized  the  offending  coolie  by  the  pigtail  and 
batted  him  over  the  head,  lecturing  him  the  while.  He 
has  not  hesitated  on  the  cold  mountain  roads  to  go 
on,  although  his  feet  were  sore.  I  do  not  believe  his 
motives  were  entirely  sordid,  but  if  they  were  partly 
so,  it  is  no  wonder,  and  keeps  him  in  the  human  race. 


RESULTS  OF  CAPTURING  A  TIGER   165 

I  prefer  to  remember  only  the  good  in  him.  After  the 
good  missionary  Pollard,  at  Chowtung,  had  given  him 
some  anti-opium  medicine  and  told  him  about  the 
God  of  the  Christians,  and  I  had  given  him  a  large 
reward  of  a  string  of  "  Big  "  cash,  he  would  not  per- 
mit a  horseman  to  pass  me  without  dismounting;  and 
returned  to  Suifu,  there  to  end  his  days  in  the  service 
of  the  Mandarins.  Old  Hero  Benevolence,  fare  thee 
well! 

Just  beyond  Takuan  the  River  Hen  disappears.  At 
the  foot  of  a  high  hill  is  the  village  of  "  The  Cave  of 
the  Floating  Water"  (Chuh  Shui  Tong),  where  the 
river  of  Laowatan,  or  Takuan,  or  Hen,  as  it  is  vari- 
ously called,  seems  to  burst  from  the  living  rock.  At 
the  top  of  the  hill,  near  the  village  of  Wuchai,  the  river 
enters  a  subterranean  channel  and  passes  out  at  the 
bottom.  In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  we  passed 
through  the  demolished  village  of  Wuchai.  Last  year 
a  tiger  was  captured  near  this  hamlet.  A  night  or 
two  afterwards  a  fire  broke  out  and  destroyed  the  en- 
tire village.  The  fire  is  said  to  have  broken  out  "  at 
the  head  and  tail  of  each  house  at  the  same  time."  The 
people  think  that  the  fire  was  the  revenge  taken  by 
the  spirits  on  the  tiger.  Regarding  the  site  of  Wuchai 
as  unlucky,  most  of  the  people  have  moved  to  a  place 
ten  li  further  south.  They  were  encouraged  to  do  this 
by  an  enterprising  landlord  who  offered  to  furnish 
all  the  building  materials,  simply  taking  in  return  a 
yearly  rent.  The  landlord  of  the  burnt  village  resented 
this,  and  went  to  law  over  the  matter,  but  the  case 
was  decided  in  favour  of  the  new  landlord,  who,  in 
consequence,  has  a  nice  annual  income.  In  New 
Street  (Sin  Kai  South)  I  spent  the  night.  That  is  the 
new  village  built  as  the  result  of  the  tiger  episode. 
We  had  come  one  hundred  and  ten  li.  Sin  Kai  South 


166  AN  AGED  CONVERT 

is  a  new,  busy  place  in  a  valley  over  five  thousand  feet 
above  the  tide. 

On  the  journey  to  Chowtung  I  noticed  many  trees 
resembling  the  ash.  They  are  the  valuable  lacquer 
trees.  Every  year  the  bark  is  cut  in  a  different  place, 
and  the  exuding  juice  is  used  to  make  the  fine  Chinese 
lacquer.  When  a  tree  has  been  sufficiently  bled,  it  is 
cut  down  and  used  for  building  purposes. 

While  passing  the  village  of  Tsuan  Kee  about  two 
P.M.,  I  stopped  to  purchase  some  brown  sugar  cakes. 
In  a  shop  window  was  a  foreign  Christmas  card,  and 
on  the  wall  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  English.  This  is  a 
famous  village.  It  is  here  the  great  Chowtung  North 
Wind  starts.  It  gets  a  move  on  too.  I  took  the  tem- 
perature of  it  as  it  passed  into  my  bones,  and  found 
on  a  Fahrenheit  thermometer  that  it  registered  twenty 
degrees.  An  old  man  of  seventy,  a  confectioner,  became 
a  Christian  there  four  years  ago.  His  grandson  was 
in  training  for  the  native  ministry,  and  gave  great 
promise,  but  was  taken  ill,  and,  after  three  weeks, 
died.  The  old  man  attended  him  carefully  during  his 
illness,  and  finally  knelt  down  at  his  bedside  and 
prayed,  "  Let  him  follow  me  to  my  grave  and  not  me 
to  his."  There  are  three  families  in  this  village  who 
have  destroyed  their  idols  as  the  result  of  this  old 
man's  example,  and  I  was  proud  to  buy  sugar  cakes  in 
his  shop. 

"  A  light  to  guide,  a  rod 
To  check  the  erring,  and  reprove." 

I  reached  Chowtung  at  five  P.M.,  having  come  from 
Suifu  in  less  than  seven  and  a  half  days.  This  journey 
usually  takes  thirteen  days. 


Ivi 


Anybody  can  get  an  A.B.     But  an  M.A.  man  is  like  a  needle 
picked  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea. — Current  Proverb. 


CHAPTER  XL 


A    MANDARIN  S    VIEW    OF    COPPER    MINING BAR- 
BARITIES TO  CHILDREN THE  GODS  OF  CHOWTUNG 

CHINESE     SINGING GAMBLING DEATH     TO 

THE    UNFILIAL SHRINE    OF    THE    MAGIC    PEN 

THE  TEMPLE  OF  HELL — INFANTICIDE. 

^^XHREE  li  north  of  the  city  of  Chow- 

Itung,  while  walking  on  the  good, 
hard  earth  of  the  Great  North 
Road,  I  was  met  by  Mr.  Samuel 
Pollard,  of  the  Bible  Christian 
Mission,  who  gave  me  a  real 
Cornish 'welcome,  and  invited  me 
to  stop  with  him  for  any  time  up 
to  two  years,  when  he  is  entitled 
to  a  visit  home.  Mr.  Pollard  is 
one  of  the  best  foreign  speakers 
of  the  Chinese  language  in  Western  China,  and,  as  a 
missionary,  is  respected  and  admired  by  foreigners  and 
natives.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  his  chosen 
work,  and  speaks  to  crowded  houses.  Merchants,  lit- 
erary men,  and  coolies  of  this,  the  second  most  impor- 
tant, city  of  the  Province  of  Yunnan,  come  to  hear  him. 
It  was  in  very  pleasant  company  that  I  entered  the  city, 
on  the  way  to  which  we  passed  the  Northern  Com- 
pound of  the  French  Catholic  Mission  about  two  li 


Pagoda. 


1 68  SECOND-HAND  COFFINS 

outside  the  city  wall.  There  are  four  gates,  and  just 
before  reaching  the  North  Gate,  which  I  entered,  we 
stopped  to  look  at  the  Drill  Ground.  This  place  was 
once  the  scene  of  an  amusing  incident.  Two  Japanese 
engineers  were  employed  by  the  Chinese  officials  to 
work  the  copper  mines  in  the  neighbourhood.  The 
officials  wished  to  test  their  knowledge  of  hidden  min- 
eral wealth,  to  do  which  they  secretly  dug  a  hole  by 
the  Drill  Ground,  and  deposited  a  thousand  round 
copper  cash.  Later  on  the  officials  took  the  engineers 
out  on  a  tour  of  inspection,  and  coming  as  if  by  acci- 
dent to  this  spot,  they  asked  if  this  was  a  good  place 
for  copper.  The  engineers  answered  "  No."  Where- 
upon the  sceptical  Mandarins  ordered  their  servants 
to  dig  up  the  cash,  and  produced  it  as  proof  of  the 
ignorance  of  the  experts.  This  fact  being  established, 
the  engineers  were  dismissed. 

Between  the  Drill  Ground  and  the  city  is  the  mis- 
cellaneous graveyard,  Luan  Fen  Yuan,  an  immense 
area.  During  hard  times — and  the  times  are  generally 
"  hard  " — coffin  boards  are  stolen  by  beggars  and  re- 
sold to  coffin  makers.  Very  little  notice  is  taken  of 
such  insignificant  matters  as  second-hand  coffins. 
Here  wolves  and  dogs  feast  on  the  fresh  bodies  of  the 
poor,  who  are  interred  in  cheap  and  fragile  boxes. 
Near  this  Field  of  the  Dead  is  a  hole  often  used  for 
the  burial  of  children.  The  death  of  a  young  boy  is  a 
cause  of  great  sorrow  to  the  parents.  When  the  evil 
spirit  is  released,  it  is  supposed  to  enter  the  body  of 
the  next  child  that  is  born.  In  order  to  prevent  its 
return,  the  parents  will  often  mutilate  the  little  body 
and  bury  it  at  the  cross-roads  near  by.  I  saw  in  the 
home  of  the  missionary  a  young  girl  whose  father  had 
mutilated  two  children  in  this  way.  Another  plan  to 
prevent  the  second  coming  of  the  evil  spirit  is  to  tie 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  LITERATURE       169 

an  egg  and  some  mustard  seed  to  the  body  of  the  dead 
child,  in  the  belief  that  the  evil  spirit  will  not  appear 
until  the  egg  hatches  and  the  seed  sprouts.  The  astute 
and  anxious  parents  carefully  boil  the  egg  and  the  seed 
in  order  to  postpone  the  date  indefinitely. 

Entering  the  North  Gate  we  turned  sharply  to  the 
left  and  ascended  the  city  wall.  Along  the  way  we 
passed  two  of  the  finest  temples  in  the  Prefecture, 
the  one  to  Confucius  and  the  other  to  Kwan  Ti,  the 
God  of  War.  Just  beyond  these  stand  the  conspicu- 
ous tower  of  the  Temple  of  Literature,  which  was 
struck  by  lightning  two  years  ago.  The  bolt  entirely 
destroyed  the  huge  metal  pen-point  which  is  supposed 
to  attract  lucky  influences  from  the  clouds.  It  is 
needless  to  add  that  the  superstitious  Chinese  hastily 
added  a  new  point  to  preserve  the  equilibrium !  Com- 
ing down  through  a  broken  part  of  the  wall  into 
"  Great  Horse  Place  Street "  (Ta  Ma  Fang),  we  met 
an  ox-cart  bearing  a  huge  black  coffin.  This  coffin 
was  for  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Church,  a  woman 
who  had  just  died.  A  little  child,  born  a  month 
before,  was  killed  by  an  accident,  and  the  mother  was 
taken  ill,  and  all  remedies  failed  to  restore  her.  "  In- 
satiate archer!  could  not  one  suffice  ?  "  The  husband 
was  much  grieved,  but  he  had  been  a  brave  Christian 
for  years  and  stood  firm  in  his  belief.  His  heathen 
friends  tried  every  means  to  get  him  to  call  in  a 
devil-driver  to  exorcise  the  evil  spirits  who  caused 
the  trouble.  He  declared  that  he  would  never  worship 
the  devil,  even  if  the  whole  family  died.  The  day 
after  my  arrival  the  funeral  was  held,  in  the  presence  of 
a  large  assembly.  When  the  service  was  ended,  the 
husband  and  other  Christians  stood  up  and  said, 
"  Come  here,  all  you  people  of  the  Three  Religions, 
and  see  if  Mrs.  Li's  eyes  have  been  gouged  out;  see 


170  THE  GODS  OF  CHOWTUNG 

if  her  neck  has  been  twisted  back;  see  if  her  legs  and 
arms  have  been  smashed  between  boards;  look  closely 
at  her  and  never  more  believe  these  lies  about  dead 
Christians.  Don't  be  afraid,  come  forward  and  see." 
Several  came  and  "  looked  closely." 

The  Bible  Christian  Mission  House  fronts  "The 
Collection  of  Worthies  Street  "  (and  was  built  more 
than  a  hundred  years  ago  to  accommodate  the  cap- 
tive prince  of  one  of  the  small  states  on  the  North  of 
Siam.  The  street  formerly  took  its  name  from  the 
country  of  this  prince,  and  was  called  "  The  Street  of 
the  Mung  "  (Mung  Tze  Kai).  He  was  held  as  a  host- 
age by  the  Chinese,  but  managed  to  escape.  Relays 
of  horses  were  provided  by  his  friends,  by  means  of 
which  he  out-distanced  all  pursuers  and  safely  reached 
his  home.  At  the  Mission  House  I  was  heartily  greet- 
ed, and  welcomed  by  the  wife  of  the  missionary  and  his 
two  fine  boys,  one  of  whom  had  already  mastered  two 
books  of  Euclid,  although  not  yet  nine  years  of  age. 

Chowtung  has  its  religious  interests  well  provided 
for,  and  gods  are  plentiful.  Scores  of  heathen  temples 
rise  on  every  hand,  dedicated  to  an  assortment  of  gods 
reaching  all  the  way  from  the  opium-smeared  deities 
and  other  small  fry  to  the  "  Pearly  Emperor "  who 
occupies  the  topmost  niche  in  the  Pantheon.  There 
is  also  a  Moslem  Mosque  without  a  minaret.  There 
are  two  hundred  families  of  Mohammedans  inside  the 
city,  and  several  mullahs  call  the  faithful  to  prayer. 
Many  of  the  Mohammedans  are  engaged  in  the  fur  trade. 

The  French  Catholic  Mission  has  hundreds  of  con- 
verts. Recently  they  finished  a  beautiful  chapel  built 
with  indemnity  money.  The  building  is  of  foreign 
brick  with  stone  trimmings.  Between  the  two  squat 
towers  looms  up  a  monster  cross  from  the  gable.  The 
foreign  priest  occupies  a  comfortable  residence  and  is 


CHINESE  SINGING  171 

on  friendly  terms  with  the  Protestants.  The  Bishop 
recently  deposed  a  Mad  Priest  who  had  issued  pro- 
clamations against  the  Protestants,  and  officially  apol- 
ogized for  the  bad  behaviour  of  his  subordinate. 

The  clay  subsoil  of  Chowtung  makes  it  difficult  to 
dig  deep,  and  the  Roman  Catholics  had  much  trouble 
with  the  base  foundations  of  their  heavy  building. 
The  Bible  Mission  House,  in  common  with  other  build- 
ings in  the  city,  has  charcoal  let  into  the  foundations 
for  the  purpose  of  absorbing  moisture.  The  Catholics 
have  divided  this  Prefecture  into  six  parts,  and  have 
a  missionary  in  charge  of  each. 

The  Protestants  have  thirty  members  and  many  hun- 
dreds of  enquirers.  Among  the  members  are  bright 
young  women  who  have  suffered  persecution  because 
they  have  insisted  on  unbinding  their  feet  and  re- 
fusing to  marry  heathen.  On  one  occasion  six  literary 
men,  before  a  large  congregation,  avowed  faith  in 
Christ!  Two  acres  of  land  outside  the  city  have 
been  purchased  by  the  Bible  Christians  for  a  training 
school.  Six  new  workers  are  expected  soon.  I  have 
attended  evening  services  here,  and  on  each  occasion 
the  chapel  has  been  packed;  indeed,  a  larger  building 
is  urgently  needed.  The  attendance  of  men  was  much 
greater  than  that  of  women,  a  condition  of  things 
which  is  general  throughout  China.  Everyone  took 
part  in  the  singing,  but  there  was  a  lack  of  decision 
as  to  which  tune  should  be  used.  The  native  organist 
used  one,  and  everyone  in  the  audience  sang  to  his  own 
tune,  the  time  in  most  cases  being  conspicuous  by  its 
absence.  But  all  tried  to  sing,  and  there  was  "  one 
heart  "  if  not  one  tune. 

"  It  is  the  secret  sympathy, 
The  silver  link,  the  silken  tie, 
Which  heart  to  heart,  and  mind  to  mind, 
In  body  and  in  soul  can  bind." 


172       ANCIENT  MOUND  DWELLINGS 

When  the  eloquent  missionary,  Pollard,  preached, 
the  literary  men,  the  merchants,  the  coolies,  and,  in 
fact,  all  classes,  listened  with  the  closest  attention.  Be- 
yond all  question  the  efforts  made  by  the  missionaries 
here  are  making  a  profound  impression  on  the  city ! 

Chowtung  is  certainly  a  city  of  expanding  prosper- 
ity. The  ancient  name  of  it  was  Yumeng,  which  was 
given  to  it  when  it  was  held  by  the  aborigines.  It 
was  conquered  by  the  Chinese  in  the  early  part  of  the 
present  dynasty,  the  decisive  battle  being  fought  at 
Camp  Hill  (Yin  Pan  Shan)  to  the  east  of  the  city. 
Great  forests  formerly  occupied  the  plateau  on  which 
the  city  now  stands.  By  some  mighty  upheaval  these 
forests  were  submerged,  and  now  the  city  has  an  enor- 
mous quantity  of  half- formed  coal.  Various  utensils 
used  by  man  are  frequently  found  embedded  in  the 
coal,  which  seems  to  prove  that  the  formation  was 
arrested.  In  the  examinations  I  have  made  of  some 
of  this  coal,  I  have  found  that  the  knots  of  the  tree 
had  not  changed,  only  the  branches  and  the  trunk  hav- 
ing become  coal.  Other  features  of  this  great  plateau, 
which  our  aneroid  registered  as  six  thousand  two 
hundred  feet  above  the  tide,  are  the  remains  of 
mound  dwellings.  The  plain  is  dotted  with  them. 
Burnt  bricks  found  in  them  contain  certain  sym- 
metrical figures.  The  natives  say  that,  in  those  early 
days,  wild  beasts  were  so  rampant  and  dangerous 
that  people  were  compelled  to  build  underground,  leav- 
ing only  a  small  entrance.  Even  now  wolves  exist  in 
large  numbers,  and  often  devour  children,  and  some- 
times attack  men.  Leopards  and  tigers  range  at  will 
through  the  country. 

Chowtung  is  the  important  place  for  trade  with  the 
rich  Province  of  Szechuen.  Cloth  and  salt  are  the 
principal  imports,  and  medicines,  the  wax  insect, 


NEW  YEAR'S  GAMBLING  173 

and  copper  are  the  chief  exports.  The  city  and  sub- 
urbs have  a  population  of  thirty  thousand,  under  the 
administration  of  civil  officials,  a  Prefect  and  Magis- 
trate, and  a  military  Brigadier-General.  The  Pre- 
fecture is  ten  days'  travel  in  length  and  six  days'  in 
width,  and  has  not  much  fewer  than  one  million  in- 
habitants. Several  races  of  people  exist  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, among  which  are  the  I  Ren,  commonly 
called  Lolo,  a  term  which  they  resent,  as  it  means 
the  little  basket  in  which  they  keep  the  tablets  of 
their  deceased  forefathers  and  which  they  worship. 
Here  are  also  the  Mizo  Tsz,  an  inoffensive  people  who 
are  chiefly  distinguished  for  their  avoidance  of  law- 
suits and  for  their  prejudices  against  stealing  and  beg- 
ging. This  race  often  serve  as  slaves  to  the  I  Ren. 
The  third  race,  who  live  a  three  days'  journey  from  the 
city,  is  the  Ba  Bu  Ren,  also  nicknamed  Man  Tsz, 
which  means  Wild  Men.  Mention  should  be  made  of 
the  Mohammedans,  who  really  are  a  separate  race,  the 
offspring  of  Persian  Arabs  and  Chinese  women.  They 
still  retain  certain  distinctive  features,  the  bridges  of 
their  noses  marking  them  as  non-Chinese. 

The  lawless  interregnum,  which  was  recognised  in 
some  ancient  Eastern  countries  upon  the  death  of  a 
king  before  the  new  monarch  was  crowned,  has  its  echo 
here  in  Chowtung.  Going  out  of  the  East  Gate,  we 
noticed  a  proclamation  in  large  black  letters  on  white 
paper,  telling  the  people  that  as  the  five  days  during 
which  gambling  is  allowed  at  the  Chinese  New  Year 
were  ended,  gambling  must  cease.  Little  notice  was 
taken  of  this  by  the  people,  for  we  passed  several  groups 
of  gamblers  in  the  open  street.  At  New  Year,  men, 
women  and  children  in  almost  every  home  gamble. 
Close  to  this  gambling  proclamation,  and  as  if  related 
to  it,  was  a  placard  by  a  Christian  B.A.,  which  gave 


174    PUNISHMENT  OF  THE  UNFILIAL 

a  long  account  of  foreign  trusts  and  syndicates.  A 
few  weeks  before,  some  men  had  started  a  coal  monop- 
oly under  the  patronage  of  high  officials.  The  whole 
city  resented  this  arrangement.  There  was  a  general 
coal  strike  which  threatened  famine  at  the  coldest 
time  of  the  year.  The  monopolists  excused  themselves 
to  the  people  by  saying  that  they  were  compelled  to 
get  money  to  enable  the  Government  to  pay  up  the 
Foreign  Indemnity,  thus  throwing  the  blame  on  the 
foreigners.  The  people  took  the  cue  and  prepared  for 
a  general  attack  on  Christmas  Eve.  An  appeal  to 
the  Prefect,  who  is  on  friendly  terms  with  the  mis- 
sionaries and  who  hated  the  monopolists,  probably  be- 
cause none  of  the  profits  came  into  his  pockets,  averted 
the  calamity.  This  magnate,  glad  to  have  the  excuse 
that  the  foreigners  were  threatened,  broke  up  the 
monopoly,  and  now  the  missionaries  are  given  credit 
for  delivering  the  people  from  a  cumbersome  tax.  The 
notice  on  trusts  was  stuck  up  at  the  four  gates,  and 
gave  the  populace  a  fair  and  intelligent  idea  of 
the  working  of  monopolies  in  Western  lands.  Young- 
Americans  might  learn  some  valuable  lessons  on  trusts 
in  Chowtung.  Near  this  same  East  Gate  lived  a 
family,  one  of  whose  members  took  to  gambling.  The 
father  tried  to  stop  him,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  At 
last,  in  anger,  he  threatened  to  strangle  the  boy,  say- 
ing to  his  offspring,  "  The  Old  Man  will  string  you 
to  death."  A  few  days  later  he  carried  out  the  threat. 
No  official  notice  was  taken  of  this  crime,  as  the  father 
in  China  has  the  power  of  life  and  can  put  to  death 
an  unfilial  son.  This  is  sometimes  done  by  bury- 
ing the  offender  alive.  Not  long  ago  a  young  gambler 
at  Suifu  was  in  need  of  money  to  pay  his  debts. 
To  relieve  his  distress,  he  stole  from  his  home. 
His  step-mother  objected.  The  angry  gambler 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  LITERATURE       175 

resented  her  interference  and  mortally  wounded  her 
with  a  knife.  The  relatives  immediately  gathered 
together,  held  a  rough  trial,  and  decided  that  this  un- 
filial  son  should  be  buried  alive.  The  sentence  was 
immediately  put  into  force,  and  the  case  was  reported 
to  the  officials.  A  Mandarin  was  degraded  by  the 
higher  powers  in  consequence  of  the  disgraceful  act 
of  the  son.  Had  he  been  tried  by  due  process  of  law, 
and  found  guilty  of  aggravated  unfilial  conduct,  a 
portion  of  the  city  wall  would  have  been  broken  down. 
Thus  the  relatives  saved  the  city  an  additional  dis- 
grace. 

Chowtung  is  full  of  interest.  To-day,  the  eighth 
Sun  of  the  first  Moon  of  the  Rabit  (twenty-ninth  year 
of  Kwang  Hsu)  I  took  a  stroll  about  the  city  with 
Mr.  Pollard.  We  went  up  the  "  Collection-bf- 
Worthies-Street,"  down  "  The  Great-Gathering 
Street/'  past  the  miserable  looking  powder  magazine, 
and  up  to  the  temple  of  the  god  of  Literature  (Wen 
Chang  Miao).  There  is  a  fine  tower  in  the  grounds 
which  had  been  partially  destroyed  by  lightning.  I 
had  some  difficulty,  at  first,  in  chasing  away  the  dogs 
and  black  hogs  which  had  taken  undisputed  possession 
of  these  Confucian  precincts.  A  great  crowd,  con- 
stantly increasing,  accompanied  us  to  The  Temple  of 
Hell,  which  is  at  present  given  up  to  the  training  of 
the  local  militia.  Batches  of  fifty  young  men  under- 
go a  course  of  three  months'  instruction  there  getting 
as  pay  a  little  over  two  taels  per  Moon.  Two  large 
horses  guard  the  entrance  to  this  temple.  These  four- 
footed  custodians  of  the  dead  are  said  to  possess  human 
instincts  and  affections;  and  their  responsibilities  as 
guardians  of  Hell  certainly  do  not  appear  to  have 
destroyed  their  taste  for  mundane  pleasure,  for  on 
a  certain  night  one  of  them  broke  loose  and  captured 


1 76  THE  TEMPLE  OF  HELL 

one  of  the  young  women  of  the  city,  taking  her 
into  Hades  to  be  his  wife,  at  least  so  the  story 
goes.  The  young  girl  died,  and  the  divines  spotted 
the  equine  cause.  In  order  to  stop  any  further  excur- 
sions, the  City  Magistrate  nailed  the  horse  to  his 
position. 

Beyond  the  horse,  a  great  courtyard  opens  out. 
This  is  the  Drill  Ground  of  the  militia.  Around  this 
courtyard  are  chambers  open  on  one  side,  and  filled 
with  representations  of  the  tortures  of  Hell.  A  fence 
is  arranged  so  as  to  prevent  the  young  Celestials  from 
making  too  free  with  the  figures.  Here  can  be  seen 
the  hill  Wang  Hsiang  Tai,  from  whence  the  dead  take 
a  last  look  at  their  homes.  Further  on  is  situated  the 
Narrow  Bridge,  over  which  all  souls  must  pass,  so 
narrow  that  few  get  over  safely.  In  the  river  under  the 
bridge  are  monsters  waiting  to  devour  the  unfortunate 
pedestrians  who  fall  into  the  water. 

Having  been  mutilated  by  these  monsters,  the 
wind  of  hell  blows  on  the  suffering  souls  and  brings 
them  to  life  again  to  take  their  journey  through  the 
next  Chamber  of  Horrors.  In  one  corner  is  a  special 
thamber  reserved  for  women  only,  consisting  of  a 
river  of  blood,  through  which  all  mothers  have  to 
pass  as  a  punishment  for  the  crime  of  maternity!  At 
the  end  of  these  apartments  stands  an  old  woman 
selling  the  soup  that  muddles  the  soul,  the  waters  of 
Lethe!  This  induces  forgetfulness  in  the  spirits. 
After  drinking  of  the  old  hag's  potion,  the  spirits  are 
re-incarnated.  I  saw  here  one  spirit  embodied  as  half 
woman  and  half  turtle.  The  turtle  represents  the  acme 
of  bestiality  and  immorality.  At  the  end  of  all  is 
a  huge  idol  with  face  besmeared  with  a  drug,  his 
devotees  having  provided  him  with  a  feast  of  liquid 
opium.  It  is  commonly  reported  that  opium  has 


THE  SPIRITS  O'F  THE  DEAD          177 

taken  a  firm  hold  in  Hades !  Truly,  Chinese  "  imag- 
inations are  as  foul  as  Vulcan's  stithy.'*  All  the  para- 
phernalia of  opium  smoking  is  often  provided  for  the 
gods.  Little  of  the  real  opium,  however,  goes  to  these 
divinities,  a  decoction  made  from  the  skin  of  pigs 
being  substituted,  as  the  Chinese  like  the  opium  too 
much  themselves  to  waste  it  on  the  denizens  of  the  next 
world. 

Passing  through  a  gateway,  we  came  to  the  abode 
of  Pluto,  who  presides  over  the  spirits  of  the  dead 
Chowtung  people  who  enter  his  domains.  This  po- 
tentate is  not  always  the  occupant  of  this  office,  being 
often  changed  and  exalted  to  higher  rank,  or  even 
deposed  for  some  misdemeanour.  There  were  two  im- 
ages of  this  god  here,  one  large  and  the  other  small. 
The  smaller  image  does  by  proxy  all  the  visiting  that 
the  god  of  .Hell  makes.  He  is  carried  in  procession 
around  the  streets,  for  the  Chinese  are  too  smart  to 
carry  a  large,  heavy  god  when  a  light,  small  one  will 
answer  the  same  purpose.  These  gods  are  named  re- 
spectively, "The  Sitting  God"  and  the  "Walking 
God."  When  a  person  dies  the  Chinese  say  "  Sheng 
Tien,"  that  is,  "  He  has  ascended  to  heaven,"  but 
they  always  seek  the  spirits  of  the  dead  in  the  Temple 
of  Hades,  as  after  all  they  seem  to  conclude  that  is 
the  more  likely  place  for  them  if  they  are  rewarded 
according  to  their  just  deserts.  The  death  of  every- 
one is  supposed  to  be  due  to  this  Pluto.  The  relatives 
of  the  dead  person  often  resent  the  deeds  of  the  god 
of  Hell.  On  one  occasion  a  mother  was  so  angry  at 
the  death  of  her  son  that  she  seized  a  knife  and  went 
forth  to  slay  the  offending  deity.  When  a  severe 
drought  continues,  the  officials  have  been  known  to 
take  the  god  whose  business  it  was  to  look  after  the 
rain  supply,  and  set  him  in  the  burning  sun  to  experience 

M 


178         SHRINE  OF  THE  MAGIC  PEN 

what  heat  is  and  what  the  people  suffer,  on  the  princi- 
ple, presumably,  that 

"  Those  who  inflict  must  suffer,  for  they  see 
The  work  of  their  own  hearts,  and  that  must  be 
Our  chastisement  or  recompense." 

The  crowd  that  followed  us  had  been  kept  outside 
the  temple  by  the  militia,  but  as  we  left  the  place,  they 
came  after  us  to  see  what  we  were  going  to  do.  In  that 
I  was  myself  greatly  interested.  The  market  place  in 
the  centre  of  the  town  is  part  of  the  grounds  of  the 
Brigadier-General.  Here  a  tragedy  was  once  enacted 
as  the  outcome  of  a  plot  of  desperate  men  to  seize  the 
city.  Early  one  morning,  hundreds  of  them  gained 
possession  of  the  place,  slaughtering  all  who  opposed 
them.  The  valiant  General  then  in  charge  of  the  Mil- 
itary District  of  Chowtung  showed  the  better  part  of 
his  valour  by  running  away.  This  miniature  rebel- 
lion, however,  was  soon  scotched,  for  the  people  rose 
en  masse,  and  in  turn  murdered  all  the  rebels.  The 
fate  of  the  leader,  Mao  San  Ho,  is  shrouded  in  mystery. 
Some  say  he  was  killed,  others  that  he  escaped.  But 
before  noon  the  whole  thing  was  over,  so  that  the  late 
risers  were  in  blissful  ignorance  of  the  crisis  the  city 
had  passed  through.  The  widow  of  the  rebel  leader  was 
flung  into  prison  soon  after  she  had  given  birth  to  a 
son,  and  the  two  are  still  kept  in  durance,  lest  the  son 
should  attempt  to  avenge  his  father's  death  by  another 
coup.  The  widow  is  in  fairly  good  circumstances,  as 
she  has  opened  a  small  pawn  shop  in  the  prison  yard. 

The  Shrine  of  the  Magic  Pen  is  a  raised  and  covered 
platform  approached  by  stone  steps.  Here  seances  are 
held,  and  communications  are  reported  from  spirits  by 
means  of  the  magic  pen.  Usually  these  communica- 
tions are  worked  by  two  confederates,  the  medium 
holding  the  pen  and  writing  cabalistic  figures  on  a  tray 


A  NATION  OF  SPIRITUALISTS        179 

of  sand,  his  confederate  reading  the  hieroglyphics  and 
reducing  them  to  legible  writing.  The  people  of  Chow- 
tung  are  mostly  spiritualists,  and  enquire  of  the  dead 
on  a  multitude  of  occasions,  for  which  purpose  the 
Magic  Pen  is  largely  in  demand.  Indeed,  to  the  Chi- 
nese the  whole  country  is  filled  with  spirits  of  the  de- 
parted. There  is  but  the  thinnest  partition,  a  sheet  of 
paper,  as  the  people  say,  between  the  living  and  the 
dead.  The  spirits  of  the  defunct  are  more  powerful 
than  the  living,  and  their  influence  is  felt  in  all  depart- 
ments of  life.  The  creaking  of  houseboards,  the 
squeaking  of  rats,  the  "  singing  "  of  the  kettle,  the  sput- 
tering of  boiling  rice  or  the  rustling  of  the  leaves  in  the 
wind  are  all  manifestations  of  the  spirit  world.  All 
pain  and  even  the  smallest  misfortunes  are  attributed 
to  malign  forces.  It  is  a  common  sight  among  all 
classes  of  people  to  see  one  of  the  women  of  the  house- 
hold engaged  in  the  following  mummery  with  a  basin 
of  water  and  three  chop-sticks : — The  handles  of  the 
chop-sticks  are  dipped  in  water  and  then  reversed,  the 
points  standing  in  the  water  and  the  handles  held 
between  the  finger  and  thumb.  Then  the  person  rap- 
idly runs  over  a  list  of  names  of  all  who  have  died  in 
connection  with  the  family,  pausing  for  a  moment  at 
each  name  to  loosen  the  grip  on  the  chop-sticks.  Some- 
times the  chop-sticks  stand  up,  and  this  is  supposed 
to  be  evidence  that  the  dead  person  whose  name  hap- 
pened to  be  mentioned  at  the  moment,  is  angry  with 
the  family,  and  causes  some  member  of  it  to  feel  pain 
somewhere  in  the  body. 

From  the  Shrine  of  the  Magic  Pen  we  sauntered 
over  to  the  South  Gate  of  the  city  and  descended  the 
well-kept  wall  which,  inside  the  battlements,  at  this 
point  consists  of  a  promenade  level  enough  for  a  bicy- 
cle track.  On  passing  a  tower  of  observation  half-way 


i8o  A  BRUTAL  MISTRESS 

between  the  South  and  West  Gates,  I  saw  the  naked 
body  of  a  child,  about  five  years  old,  lying  face  down- 
ward at  the  bottom  of  the  tower  among  the  rubbish. 
These  structures,  several  of  which  are  on  the  city 
wall,  are  largely  used  as  receptacles  for  the  bodies  of 
dead  children.  Unless  destroyed  in  some  other  way, 
the  bodies  remain  there  until  they  decay.  Skulls  and 
bones  are  often  seen  in  these  places.  The  bodies  of 
children  are  not  allowed  to  be  buried  in  the  family 
plot,  that  distinction  being  reserved  for  older  people. 
If  heathenism  inculcates  great  respect  for  old  age,  it 
entirely  fails  to  define  the  true  position  of  children,  who 
are  often  treated  barbarously,  especially  if  they  are 
slaves.  There  is  practically  no  control  over  the  treat- 
ment of  the  class,  at  least  in  cases  of  hereditary  slaves 
of  aboriginal  chieftains.  Chinese  masters  and  mis- 
tresses hold  the  lives  of  the  slaves  in  their  hands.  I 
heard  of  a  mistress  who  was  annoyed  at  the  conduct 
of  her  little  slave  girl,  and  in  a  fit  of  uncontrollable 
anger,  beat  her  almost  to  death.  The  woman  was  too 
superstitious  to  allow  the  girl,  as  the  result  of  her 
cruelty,  to  die  in  her  house,  so  she  sent  one  of  her 
husband's  soldiers  to  carry  the  dying  maid  to  the  tower 
over  the  East  Gate,  where  the  soldiers  kept  watch.  A 
crowd  was  attracted  by  the  scene,  but  no  one  interfered. 
After  some  difficulty  the  Protestant  missionaries  per- 
suaded two  old  women,  for  a  good  cash  present,  to 
provide  shelter  for  the  girl  until  she  died.  No  action 
was  taken  against  the  cruel  mistress.  What  a  contrast 
with  all  this  are  the  words  of  the  gentle  Jesus,  "  Suffer 
the  little  children  to  come  unto  Me." 


Nails  are  not  made  from  good  iron,  nor  soldiers  from  good  men. 

Current  Proverb. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FIGHTING    A    FAMINE — THE     MOHAMMEDAN     RE- 
BELLION  WILD   BEASTS   IN    CHINA ATTACKS   OF 

WOLVES WHITE    WAX    INSECTS HONOURING    A 

WIDOW. 

*W  T   was  with   great   reluctance  that   I 
left  Chowtung  Mission  House  and 
I        the  interesting  family  of  the  Bible 
,  4        Missionary.     What  an  object-lesson 
to    the    idolater    is    a    clean,    neat 
Foot  ear  Christian  home!     No  shabby  recep- 

tion room  with  hideous  ornaments 
and  cheap  pictures  of  idiotic  gods!  We  departed 
directly  after  Early  Rice,  going  down  "  Collection- 
of-Worthies-Street,"  and  swung  into  Carpenter 
Street,  which  is  flanked  by  the  grounds  of  the  Brig- 
adier-General, and,  on  the  other  side,  by  carpenters' 
shops.  Opposite  the  doors  were  fir  trees  without  roots, 
planted  simply  for  the  first  Moon.  The  effect  was 
striking,  and  one  would  suppose  the  Chinese  might 
plant  permanent  shade  trees.  At  the  end  of  Car- 
penter Street  was  a  pool  of  dirty  water,  green  and 
filthy-looking,  supposed  to  be  the  source  of  lucky  in- 
fluence to  the  city,  because  it  is  near  the  house  of 
Mr.  Hide,  who  is  a  member  of  the  Hanlin  Academy, 


182  CHINESE  SALT 

and  highly  respected  throughout  the  neighbourhood. 
His  good  fortune  is  said  to  come  from  the  subtle 
influence  of  this  stinking  pool,  which  threw  off  "  the 
rankest  compound  of  villainous  smell  that  ever  offend- 
ed nostril." 

Passing  the  Market  Place  and  turning  to  the  right, 
we  went  down  Sheep  Street,  wherein  are  found  the 
best  silks,  cloths,  and  wearing  apparel  in  the  city.  The 
West  Gate  lies  at  the  end  of  this  street,  and  just 
outside  live  the  big  merchants  of  the  city,  most  of 
whom  are  engaged  in  the  salt  trade.  The  supply  all 
comes  from  Szechuen,  for  the  white  salt  produced 
above  Yunnanfu  is  not  permitted  so  far  north.  This 
prohibition  is  all  in  the  interests  of  the  salt-producers 
of  Szechuen.  Formerly  great  wells  were  located  at 
Cormorant  Rapid,  near  Laowa  Tan,  but  as  their  work- 
ing would  stop  the  import  trade  from  Szechuen,  the 
Government  officials  promptly  closed  them.  Thus  the 
people  are  compelled  to  eat  dear  salt,  which  in  Chow- 
tung  is  one  hundred  and  twenty  cash  a  catty,  or,  at 
the  present  rate,  four  gold  cents  a  pound.  It  has  a 
most  earthy  hue — a  sort  of  grey  mud  colour.  After 
the  pure  white  salt  used  on  the  tables  in  foreign  lands, 
it  is  difficult  to  become  accustomed  to  it.  It  has, 
however,  a  considerable  savour. 

At  the  end  of  the  West  Gate  suburb  was  a  large 
memorial  arch  erected  in  honour  of  Lung,  the  present 
Prefect  of  Chowtung.  Ten  years  ago  Lung  was  sent 
down  by  the  Yunnan  Government  to  cope  with  a 
famine  which  was  exhausting  the  district.  He  started 
extensive  relief  works,  and  built  a  canal  which  we 
passed  the  same  day.  This  canal  has  been  a  success, 
whereas  another  one  built  by  him  at  the  north  end  of 
the  plateau  has  been  a  failure.  In  addition  to  the 
works,  large  kitchens  for  the  distribution  of  rice  congee 


THE  USES  OF  OPIUM  183 


and  rice  soup  were  opened.  One  of  these  were  in  a 
large  temple  called  Old  Age  and  Happiness,  or  Sheo 
Fuh  Sze,  in  which  about  two  thousand  people,  mostly 
women  and  children,  were  collected  in  sheds  and  not 
allowed  to  leave  the  premises.  The  greedy  underlings 
did  their  best  to  get  pickings  out  of  the  business,  and 
put  lime,  alum,  and  other  things  in  the  rice  to  make 
a  small  quantity  appear  large.  This  adulterated  food, 
and  close  confinement  with  no  sanitary  arrangements, 
brought  on  virulent  famine  fever,  and  hundreds  died. 
So  rapidly  and  fatally  did  death  work  that  the  under- 
takers were  unable  to  supply  the  demand  for  coffins. 
When  the  distributions  ceased,  a  public  effort  was 
made  to  provide  some  monument  for  Mandarin  Lung. 
A  memorial  arch  was  begun,  and  immense  stones 
were  dragged  to  the  place  for  material ;  but  Lung  was 
sent  elsewhere,  and  the  scheme  fell  through.  For  years 
the  stones  hindered  traffic,  but  when  Lung  returned 
to  office  he  began  to  engineer  the  arch  himself, 
and  in  time  finished  it.  It  is  now  one  of  the  finest 
monuments  in  Northern  Yunnan.  After  passing 
through  this  archway,  the  road  runs  through  some 
of  the  most  fertile  soil  about  the  city,  where  there 
are  immense  vegetable  gardens.  Further  south  the 
gardens  give  place  to  opium  and  bean  fields.  I  noticed 
young  bean  plants  growing  up  between  the  stubble. 
The  beans  are  always  planted  before  the  rice  is  out. 
Opium  is  considered  a  profitable  crop,  because  every- 
thing in  connection  with  it  can  be  used.  The  juice 
of  the  pods  makes  the  drug;  the  seeds  inside  are 
eaten  by  children  and  adults  as  a  sweet  morsel,  or 
are  crushed  into  oil;  the  refuse  cakes  remaining  after 
the  oil  is  crushed  out  are  useful  as  fertilizer.  The  stalks 
of  the  opium  are  burned  for  fuel.  "  Sweet,  sweet 
poison  for  the  age's  tooth  !  " 


1 84   TWO  MOHAMMEDANS  MAKE  ONE 

Fifteen  li  from  the  city  lies  the  Phoenix  Mountain, 
the  top  of  which  is  in  three  distinct  ovals.  It  is  said 
to  have  grown  out  of  the  earth.  As  a  mark  on  the 
landscape  it  is  much  prized  by  the  people  of  the  region. 
Not  over  twenty  li  from  Chowtung  we  entered  the 
Mohammedan  country,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  I 
passed  four  mosques,  but  not  one  had  the  customary 
minaret.  Before  the  Rebellion,  the  Mohammedans 
were  so  influential  in  this  region  that  the  Chinese  were 
not  permitted  to  keep  pigs  or  sell  pork  in  the  market. 
At  the  end  of  sixty  li  we  entered  the  large  Moslem 
village  of  Peace  Garden,  with  a  dreadful  muddy  street. 
The  Islamites  are  thrifty,  but  not  so  abstemious  as 
the  founder  of  their  religion.  "  The  prophet  never 
enjoyed  the  luxury  of  two  kinds  of  food  the  same 
day;  if  he  had  flesh,  there  was  nothing  else;  and  so 
if  he  had  dates,  so  likewise  if  he  had  bread."  The 
Mohammedan  Rebellion  distracted  the  country  for 
several  years.  At  first  the  followers  of  Islam  had 
things  all  their  own  way,  for  one  Moslem  was  a  match 
for  ten  Chinese.  Finally,  the  rebels  began  to  make 
peace.  At  this  juncture  Mandarin  Tang  returned  with 
victorious  troops  and,  accusing  the  Moslems  of  kill- 
ing his  father,  caused  a  wholesale  massacre.  Every 
Mohammedan  that  was  left  was  given  the  choice  of 
eating  half  a  pound  of  pork  or  of  death.  A  few  chose 
death,  but  most  elected  to  eat  the  pork.  It  is  generally 
stated  here  that  it  takes  two  Mohammedans  to  make 
one.  When  there  is  only  one,  he  conforms  to  the  local 
customs,  but  when  there  are  two  or  more,  they  hang 
together  for  the  Koran. 

I  spent  the  night  at  Tashui  Tsing.  For  the  last 
thirty  li  we  were  accompanied  by  a  Mohammedan 
soldier,  an  agile,  strong  warrior,  vastly  superior  in 
make  and  movements  to  the  Chinese.  He  served  as 


Ixii 


AN  AGILE  MOSLEM  185 

body  guard.  The  road  lay  up  the  mountain,  steep, 
slippery,  at  times  muddy,  but  mostly  covered  with 
snow,  the  scenery  being  beautiful  and  the  air  bracing. 
The  next  day  we  made  one  hundred  and  twenty  li. 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  in  high  altitudes  walking 
is  more  tiring  than  at  the  sea  level,  until  one  is  accus- 
tomed to  the  rarified  atmosphere.  The  previous  night 
I  slept  eight  thousand  two  hundred  feet  above  the  tide, 
and  that  night  over  six  thousand  feet.  These  facts 
well  indicate  the  general  position  of  the  road.  The 
country  is  mostly  bare  and  sparsely  inhabited.  Later 
in  the  day  we  passed  out  of  the  Mohammedan  country 
and  again  entered  the  region  of  idols.  The  last  Mos- 
lem escort  was  sixty  years  of  age,  and  ran  like  a  deer 
down  the  rough  mountain  path  to  the  Ox  Fence  or 
Niulan  River.  His  gait  resembled  Marcus  Dods'  de- 
scription of  Mohammed : — "  His  step  suggested  that 
of  a  man  descending  a  hill,  and  he  walked  with  such 
extreme  rapidity  that  those  accompanying  him  were 
kept  at  a  half  run."  Crossing  the  river  is  a  fine  sus- 
pension bridge  with  a  male  and  female  monkey  guard- 
ing the  entrance  at  the  southeren  side.  The  Niulan 
rises  on  the  Yanglin  plain  about  a  hundred  li  from 
Yunnanfu,  and  joins  the  Yangtze  opposite  the  inde- 
pendent Lolo  land  in  Szechuen.  It  is  not  navigable,  as 
the  bed  is  full  of  huge  boulders. 

Before  this  suspension  bridge  was  made,  the  road 
touched  the  Ox  Fence  River  three  li  lower  down,  but 
the  bridge  that  crossed  there  was  washed  away  and  a 
ferry  took  its  place.  A  large  village  grew  up  on  the 
south  side  where  travellers  usually  stopped  for  the 
night,  bringing  much  trade.  The  ferry  was  insufficient 
for  the  traffic,  and  the  three  great  Merchant  Guilds  de- 
cided to  put  up  the  money  to  construct  a  new  bridge.  A 
new  site  was  chosen  and  the  iron  suspension  bridge 


1 86  SECOND-HAND  TEA 

completed  in  the  fourteenth  year  of  Kwang  Tsu.  It 
was  opened  by  Mandarin  Ho  with  much  festivity.  A 
village  rapidly  sprang  up  around  the  bridge,  and  became 
the  stopping  place  for  travellers,  but  with  true  Chinese 
stubbornness  many  preferred  the  old  road  and  slow 
ferry  to  the  new  road  and  good  bridge.  As  very  little 
traffic  came  by  the  latter  route,  the  owners  of  the  new 
village  inns  went  over  and  cut  away  the  old  road  in  sev- 
eral places.  Gradually  the  new  road  became  the  only 
one  passable,  and  the  inhabitants  pulled  down  their 
houses  and  moved  up  to  the  suspension  bridge,  or  went 
off  to  their  farms.  Only  a  little  white  temple  remains 
to  mark  the  site  of  a  once  thriving  village. 

Having  crossed  the  bridge,  the  road  runs  due  south 
along  a  mountain  torrent.  The  glum  boss  coolie, 
habitually  late,  and  ill-natured  toward  the  men,  by  his 
meanness  "  enthused  "  me  to  go  back  and  punch  two 
of  his  ribs  with  my  rifle  barrel.  It  was  a  wholesome 
lesson,  and  expedited  matters  considerably.  After  that 
episode,  he  attended  to  business.  We  passed  strings 
of  ponies  laden  with  medicines,  tin  and  tea,  going  over 
the  mountains.  There  is  always  one  donkey  to  every 
twelve  ponies,  because  of  an  ancient  custom  that  the 
inn  entertains  a  donkey  free  for  every  dozen  ponies. 
One  pony's  saddle  had  a  red  New  Year  strip  on  it 
bearing  this  legend,  "  May  this  be  a  prosperous  year, 
and  everything  be  as  I  want  it." 

Fifty  li  from  Tashui  Tsing  the  Moslem  guard  was 
exchanged  for  a  son  of  Ham.  English  walnuts  and 
maize  were  for  sale,  also  eggs  at  five  cash  each,  and 
pears  with  a  tar  flavour  at  seven  cash.  At  one  shop 
we  drank  second-hand  tea,  i.e.,  tea  that  has  been  steeped 
then  fired  again,  and  steeped  for  further  use.  The  sun 
was  just  down  when  we  entered  the  village  of  Ichae 
Shin,  a  small  market  town  of  three  hundred  families. 


i 


A  PLAGUE  OF  WOLVES  187 

It  lies  in  the  midst  of  a  rich  fertile  plain.  At  one  end 
of  the  village  is  a  temple  to  the  god  of  War,  and  in  the 
centre  of  the  place  two  other  temples.  This  is  six 
thousand  three  hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  I  found  a 
good  room  at  the  Saving-and-Grafting  Inn,  with  a 
charcoal  fire,  and  a  candle  in  a  turnip.  The  cook  pur- 
chased plenty  of  vegetables  to  last  over  Sunday,  and 
bought  a  large,  fat  chicken  for  four  hundred  and  fifty 
cash,  which  is  about  twenty  cents  gold — cheap  enough, 
but  a  good  deal  more  than  the  real  price,  as  the  cook 
has  to  get  his  squeeze  and  the  man  who  recommended 
this  inn  has  a  share  of  the  profits  too.  Eggs  cost  five 
cash  each,  and  whole  beans  fifteen  cash  a  pint.  The 
cost  of  living  in  China,  away  from  the  great  ports, 
is  comparatively  little,  but  travelling  is  much  more 
expensive  than  in  Western  lands,  where  the  locomotive 
will  in  a  day  or  two  do  a  month's  journey  like  the 
one  I  was  making. 

I  discovered  that  I  was  wholly  deceived  by  being 
told  in  Shanghai  that  there  are  no  wild  animals  in 
China.  The  mountainous  country  between  Chowtung 
and  Tongchuan  is  infested  with  wolves  and  other  sav- 
age beasts,  "  cruel  as  death  and  hungry  as  the  grave." 
Leopards  are  constantly  seen  about  Ichae  Hsien.  The 
Chinese  say  that  every  tigress  brings  forth  three  cubs, 
one  of  which  is  a  leopard;  and  that  the  round  spot 
on  the  leopard  opens  out  like  a  horse-shoe  after  it  has 
eaten  a  human  being.  An  educated  man  told  me  that 
so  many  children  had  been  devoured  by  wolves  that 
no  one  now  takes  the  trouble  to  keep  the  count.  Wolves 
re  caught  by  a  curious  device  called  the  "  Tiger  Um- 
rella."  It  consists  of  a  stick  five  feet  long  with  sev- 
eral iron  hooks  at  the  end,  which  work  like  the  ribs  of 
an  umbrella.  The  plan  is  to  thrust  this  down  the 
wolf's  throat  and  then  pull  a  trifle,  and  the  hooks, 


1 88  A  DESPERATE  STRUGGLE 

fastening  in  his  flesh,  bag  the  quarry,  and  he  is  soon 
ready  for  market.  A  wolf's  skin  sells  for  one  thousand 
cash.  Another  device  is  called  "  Catching  the  Ele- 
phant." A  deep  hole  is  dug  and  thinly  covered  with 
fragile  poles  and  enough  earth  to  plant  wheat.  The 
pack  of  wolves  attempt  to  cross  it,  and  falling  in,  are 
readily  captured.  Wild  animals  are  sometimes  shot 
with  poisoned  arrows  from  a  crossbow.  The  poison 
and  arrowheads  are  boiled  together,  the  former  being 
called  "  It-sees-the-blood-and-stifles-the-throat."  It  is 
said  to  kill  the  victim  at  once.  In  most  of  the  vil- 
lages near  hills  and  mountains  wolves  are  a  pest,  visit- 
ing the  people  with  sufficient  frequency  to  inspire  them 
with  dread.  Hundreds  of  lives  are  sacrificed  every 
year  to  these  fierce  brutes.  Some  are  yellow  and  some 
grey,  and  go  by  different  names  in  different  places, 
such  as  Tu  Pao  Tsz,  a  coarse  kind  of  leopard  around 
Chowtung.  In  some  places  they  are  also  called  hill 
donkeys,  Shan  Mao  Lee.  Tragedies  are  constantly 
occurring  in  connection  with  these  animals.  On  the 
ground  now  occupied  by  a  small  sanatorium  for  the 
missionaries  at  Chowtung,  two  children  of  the  Chinese 
owner  were  devoured.  At  the  village  of  "  Three  Red 
Trees,"  I  was  told  that  on  the  third  Sun  of  the  first 
Moon  of  this  present  Rabbit  year,  an  old  man  named 
Hsia,  who  lived  at  Fire  Burned  Bridge,  had  gone  out 
in  the  snowy  weather  to  cut  firewood.  While  he  was 
cutting  down  the  trees  with  his  "  bill  "  a  couple  of 
hungry  wolves  seized  him  and  tore  him  to  pieces.  The 
old  man  fought  well  for  his  life,  but  he  was  no  match 
for  two  gaunt,  hungry  wolves,  and  was  soon  over- 
powered. Although  there  was  evidence  in  the  snow  of 
a  fearful  struggle,  all  that  remained  of  the  wood-cutter 
were  a  few  gnawed  bones.  At  "  Black  Earth 
Foundation,"  Heh  Tu  Ki,  the  day  before  my  arrival, 


CHASTISING  THE  GODS  189 

Mrs.  Field  (Tien),  the  wife  of  a  devil-driver,  was 
out  in  the  fields  driving  home  the  cows,  when  she 
was  attacked  by  a  fierce  wolf  who  seized  her  by  the 
throat  and  severed  her  windpipe.  Her  sons  were  near 
at  hand,  and  ran  to  the  rescue  soon  enough  to  prevent 
the  wolf  from  devouring  their  mother.  While  life 
still  remained  in  the  body,  one  of  the  sorrowing  sons 
carried  his  mother  home  on  his  back,  but  all  efforts 
to  save  her  life  were  futile,  and  that  morning  the 
woman  died,  another  victim  of  these  brutes.  Her  hus- 
band was  in  a  fair  way  of  business,  having  a  reputa- 
tion for  being  able  to  drive  away  devils  from  all 
houses  of  trouble,  albeit  he  was  unable  to  drive  away 
trouble  from  his  own. 

So  great  is  the  scourge  that  the  north  part  of  Tong- 
chuan  plain  was  rendered  unsafe  by  the  depredations 
of  these  animals.  Other  methods  failing  to  drive  away 
the  leopards,  the  Prefect  Kien  tried  another.  He  went 
out,  prayed  to  the  gods  of  the  hills,  to  keep  their  dis- 
trict in  order  and  deliver  the  people  from  the  pest. 
Till  gods  failed  in  their  duty.  This  exasperated  the 
Mandarin,  who  paid  another  visit  to  the  temple,  sat 
down  outside,  and  in  loud  tones  ordered  the  lictors  to 
bring  out  the  useless  deities.  Laying  them  on  the 
ground,  face  downwards,  at  the  Mandarin's  order,  the 
lictors  administered  a  sound  beating  as  a  reminder  of 
their  remissness  and  as  an  incentive  to  better  behaviour. 
His  Honour  then  went  home. 

My  journey  at  this  stage  took  me  right  through 
the  heart  of  the  great  Wax  Insect  district.  This 
wax  is  used  for  making  coloured  pencils  and 
crayons.  Most  of  it  is  exported.  The  plain  contains 
thousands  of  insect  trees.  The  rush  occurs  at 
the  "  setting  up  of  summer,"  when  the  little  town  of 
Ichae  Shin  is  very  busy.  Hundreds  of  men  come  to 


190  WAX  INSECTS 

purchase  the  tiny  insects.  In  an  ordinary  year  the 
price  of  a  load  of  insects,  say  seventy  catties,  is  thirty 
ounces  of  silver.  In  a  good  year  a  Chinaman  will  carry 
that  on  his  back  over  the  mountains  into  Szechuen 
and  get  eighty  ounces  of  silver  or  more  for  the  load. 
It  is  a  risky  business,  and  the  family  of  the  dealer 
will  resort  to  every  device  known  to  propitiate  the 
gods  while  he  works  the  insects.  Sometimes  the  in- 
sects get  warm  and  hatch  out  before  he  reaches  his 
destination,  and  then  all  is  lost;  otherwise,  he  may 
make  a  fortune  out  of  one  load.  Insects  from  this 
place  do  not  make  as  much  wax  as  those  from  other 
places,  because,  as  a  Chinaman  said,  they  have  only  six 
feet.  The  real  hustlers  have  eight.  Inside  each  chrys- 
alis are  three  insects.  The  first  lot  that  come  out 
disappear,  and  nothing  comes  of  them.  The  next  lot 
breed  the  insects  for  the  next  season,  and  the  lot  re- 
maining do  the  work  and  make  the  wax.  The  first 
are  grey,  and  the  last  white.  Many  turn  into  small 
moths  and  fly  away;  others  bury  themselves  in  their 
own  wax  and  die  there.  I  was  told  that  there  were 
eight  thousand  loads  of  these  insects  produced  in 
Yunnan  last  year. 

On  the  next  stage,  we  travelled  one  hundred  and 
thirty  li  to  Pan-Pien  Tsing,  and  I  stayed  over  night  in 
the  Great  Prosperity  Inn.  In  the  corner  of  my  room 
was  a  large  coffin,  which  was  not  intended  to  interfere 
with  my  slumbers,  but  was  prepared  for  Old  Yen's 
wife.  Old  people  like  to  have  their  coffins  ready,  to 
be  sure  of  getting  them.  Friends  sometimes  present 
one  as  a  delicate  mark  of  attention.  This  would  be 
very  suggestive  in  Western  lands,  but  out  there  it  is 
the  correct  thing.  Everything  depends  on  the  point 
of  view.  All  the  day  was  occupied  in  passing  through 
the  Red  Uplands.  Full  eighty  li  from  Ichae  Shin  is  a 


Ixiii 


A  MODEL  WIDOW  191 

point  where  the  road  divides  into  two,  one  branch 
going  off  to  Huelichou,  in  the  Province  of  Szechuen. 
At  this  junction  of  the  two  roads  is  a  grave  with  a 
history.  It  is  called  "  The  Girl's  Grave."  Seldom  in 
China  is  a  girl  honoured  with  a  stone  on  her  resting- 
place.  The  one  at  the  head  of  this  grave  is  in  the 
shape  of  a  memorial  arch.  Her  father,  Mr.  Tao,  was  a 
devil-driver  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  gave  her  in 
marriage  while  quite  a  child.  The  young  husband  died 
before  the  marriage  was  consummated.  The  next 
brother  wanted  to  marry  her,  but  she  objected.  He 
failed  to  persuade  her,  and  tried  force.  The  girl  hav- 
ing what  the  Chinese  call  "  a  high  sense  of  honour/' 
determined  to  remain  a  widow,  faithful  to  her  de- 
ceased betrothed.  At  last,  persecuted  beyond  endur- 
ance, she  took  a  dose  of  opium  and  died  of  the  poison. 
Then  came  the  row.  The  case  was  taken  from  the 
District  Court  to  the  Higher  Court,  where  the  parents 
of  the  girl  were  awarded  a  solatium  of  one  hundred 
taels,  the  other  party  paying  it.  Part  of  that  money 
defrayed  the  expenses  of  building  this  grave.  A  man 
told  me  this  story  in  front  of  the  tomb.  He  was 
merely  a  traveller,  but  was  seized  by  a  momentary  ex- 
citement about  it.  The  Chinese  evidently  endorse  that 
sort  of  thing  on  the  part  of  girls.  The  narrative  was 
confirmed  in  the  village  below. 

"  Early,  bright,  transient,  chaste,  as  morning  dew, 
She  sparkled,  was  exhaled,  and  went  to  heaven." 

Continuing  the  journey,  we  passed  several  houses 
where  bee-hives  were  hung  outside.  The  hives  con- 
sist often  of  wooden  boxes  or  baskets  daubed  with 
mud.  New  Year's  mottoes  were  on  them  wishing 
great  prosperity  to  the  king  of  the  bees.  The  honey 
of  Northern  Yunnan  has  the  reputation  of  being  the 
best  in  all  China.  At  the  Red  Stone  Cliff  Village 


192  A  LOFTY  LANDSCAPE 

Taoist  priests  were  holding  a  ceremony  during  which 
they  read  the  Peace  Classics,  or  Tai  Ping  King.  Fur- 
ther on  lay  the  Wild  Pig  Plain,  once  a  large  quagmire 
mixed  up  with  quicksands.  It  has  been  drained  by  the 
Taoists ! 

Thirty-five  li  from  Tongchuan  are  the  three  graves 
of  three  generals  who  are  still  alive.  Geomancers, 
who  understand  the  state  of  the  Dragon's  pulse,  have 
had  the  graves  put  there  on  trial.  Coffins  have  been 
made  and  parts  of  the  hair  and  so  forth  put  in  and 
buried.  When  the  graves  are  opened,  the  geomancers 
will  decide  whether  it  is  a  good  site,  suited  to  give  the 
generals  a  good  time  in  the  next  world. 

I  pursued  my  pilgrimage  full  ninety  li,  now  through 
small  villages  and  now  in  solitudes  where  the  scenery 
was  unmodified  save  only  by  the  crystals  of  ice  on  the 
scant  mountain  shrubs.  Seldom  does  a  foreigner  be- 
hold this  lofty  landscape.  I  rested  at  the  inn  of  the 
Chen  Family  in  the  village  of  Great  Water  Well,  Ta 
Shui  Tsing,  with  a  charcoal  fire  in  the  '  hopung/  or 
fire  basin.  For  light,  a  candle  was  swung  in  a  basket 
of  eggs  from  a  bamboo  joist.  This  inn  was  eight 
thousand  two  hundred  feet  above  the  sea  by  our  an- 
eroid. I  had  photographed  an  arch  as  I  entered  the 
place.  I  hung  my  Fahrenheit  thermometer  to  the 
metal  tripod,  and  in  short  order  it  registered  twenty- 
two  degrees.  As  a  stiff  wind  was  blowing,  I  found  the 
air  too  chilly  to  linger  for  any  further  contraction  of 
the  mercury. 


The  contented  man  is  rich,  and  he  who  can  be  patient  has  peace, 
of  course. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

TONGCHUAN STREET     SCENES ITINERANT      MUSI- 
CIANS  BLINDNESS  RESULTING  FROM  GRIEF PAPER 

FORTUNES    FOR    THE    DEAD TEN    THOUSAND    FEET 

ABOVE  THE  SEA LEPERS  CREMATED  ALIVE. 

T  WALKED  from  Chowtung  to  Tong- 
chuan,  nearly  four  hundred  li,  but 
decided  to  take  a  mountain  chair 
from  this  place,  and  engaged  three 
men  to  carry  it.  From  Tongchuan 
we  started  soon  after  one  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  for  "  South  of  the 
Blind  Fortune  Teller.  Clouds,"  Yunnan  Fu.  My  caravan, 
consisting  of  three  chairs,  nine  coolies,  two  "  heroes," 
and  three  foreigners,  a  rather  imposing  procession, 
swung  out  of  the  mission's  high  gate  into  Happiness 
Street.  On  our  left  the  great  temple  to  the  god  of 
the  Southern  Guilds  stood  as  evidence  of  the  com- 
mercial and  religious  spirit,  while  not  far  along  was 
a  house  with  a  statement  over  the  door  to  the  effect 
that  for  five  generations  the  family  has  not  split  up. 
That  is  something  the  Chinese  are  very  proud  of,  and 
consider  sufficiently  important  to  tell  to  all  creation. 
On  our  right  the  Roman  Catholic  Orphanage  for 
N 


i94  A  BUSY  CROWD 

Girls,  which  supports  a  wise  philanthropic  work,  was 
the  last  object  of  note  to  attract  attention  before  we 
turned  to  the  left  through  a  narrow  passage  into  the 
main  street  of  the  city.  On  the  way,  we  passed  a 
couple  of  coy  and  blushing  damsels,  one  of  whom,  with 
true  Chinese  modesty,  turned  her  face  to  the  wall  and 
her  back  to  us;  the  other,  half-sheltered  by  her 
companion,  managed  to  get  a  good  look  at  the 
foreigners. 

"  The  maid  who  modestly  conceals 
Her  beauties,  while  she  hides  reveals." 

The  street  by  which  we  left  the  city  is  the  only  im- 
portant street  in  Tongchuan.  It  runs  from  the  East 
to  the  West  Gate,  and  extends  into  the  suburbs.  Few 
pigs  are  at  large,  and  the  people  pride  themselves  on 
the  cleanliness  of  their  city.  Compared  with  most 
Chinese  cities,  they  have  a  perfect  right  to  be  proud. 
Nature  has  assisted  the  town  in  providing  a  number 
of  good  wells,  or  springs.  This  does  away  with  water 
carrying  and  sloppy  pavements.  Right  in  the  centre 
of  the  city  we  crossed  "  Ten  Character  Street,"  where 
were  congregated  fruit  and  fish  sellers;  the  vegetable 
vendors  with  mammoth  turnips  two  feet  in  length 
were  further  along.  The  Chinaman  is  wonderfully  fond 
of  his  "  Little  Mary."  Along  the  street  are  eating 
places  exhibiting  dingy  saucepans,  raw  leaf  tobacco, 
pigs'  feet,  and  other  delicacies  beloved  by  Celestials. 
Oranges,  pears,  and  sugar-cane  were  on  sale,  while 
men  poorly  clad  strode  along  under  heavy  loads  of 
firewrood.  There  is  no  coal  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
bourhood, and  cut  firewood  is  in  constant  demand. 
Pork  and  fowl  are  plentiful,  but  beef  and  mutton  rare. 
It  was  a  live,  busy  crowd.  Seldom  is  a  loafer  seen  in 
China;  men  seem  to  be  employed  or  in  pursuit  of 
employment.  Lending  variety  to  the  sunlit  street 


BLIND  MUSICIANS  195 

scene  were  the  small  groups  of  aboriginal  women  with 
gay  adornment  and  natural  feet.  The  two  heroes  re- 
lieved us  of  the  stress  of  the  crowd  by  calling  loudly 
to  make  way  for  the  Mandarins!  I  met  a  blind  man 
by  the  West  Gate,  led  by  an  urchin  who  assumed 
the  task  of  steering  him.  He  was  skilfully  playing  a 
superannuated  fiddle  of  two  strings.  For  those  who 
know  and  appreciate  the  intricacies  of  Chinese  music 
with  its  pentatonic  system,  a  considerable  amount  of 
enjoyment  can  be  extracted  from  a  two-stringed  violin. 
I  am  free  to  confess,  however,  that  my  early  training 
in  music  was  so  neglected  that  I  fail  to  appreciate  the 
artful,  delicate  touch  of  Celestial  fingers  upon  the  mirth- 
ful fiddle.  Yet  no  well-played  lute  or  lyre,  breathing 
Olympian  or  Tuscan  airs,  can  so  bewitch  a  Chinaman's 
senses  as  these  same  screeching  two  strings,  which 
frighten  even  the  sullen  yellow  dogs. 

"  Swans  sing  before  they  die ;  'twere  no  bad  thing, 
Should  certain  people  die  before  they  sing." 

There  are  Blind  Toms  in  every  country,  and  China  is 
no  exception  to  the  rule.  A  blind  man  came  timidly  to 
the  mission  station  and  asked  to  see  the  "  wind  instru- 
ment," meaning  the  organ.  After  feeling  his  way  over 
the  keys,  he  jumped  at  the  plan  of  the  strange  creature, 
and  under  his  magic  touch  sweet  Chinese  tunes  came 
forth,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  missionary  and  his 
own  evident  delight.  Many  of  the  blind  men  in  China 
engage  in  fortune  telling,  and  in  that  way  decide  the 
\ destinies  (?)  of  multitudes  of  every  class.  Being  de- 
Ificient  in  one  organ,  they  are  supposed  to  excel  in  the 
others. 

One  can  hardly  believe  it,  but  there  are  cases  on 
(record  where  persons  have  cried  themselves  blind.  A 
•'middle-aged  man  who  was  blind  entered  the  street 
:•  preaching  hall  in  Tongchuan.  The  missionary  asked 


196  A  CURIOUS  FISH-TRAP 

him  how  he  lost  his  sight,  and  he  replied : — "  One  day 
while  my  men  and  I  were  working  in  the  harvest  field, 
our  dinner  that  was  usually  brought  to  us  from  home 
by  my  little  boy  did  not  come.  Going  to  the  house 
to  see  what  the  matter  was,  I  found  my  poor  little  son 
had  been  killed  and  partly  devoured  by  wolves.  I 
was  horror-struck,  so  that  I  cried  and  cried  until  I 
cried  myself  blind."  A  woman  came  to  the  teacher 
and  said,  "  I  trouble  you,  but  will  you  make  me  see  ?  " 
The  teacher  replied  that  he  had  not  the  power.  "  But," 
she  said,  "  everybody  says  you  have."  The  story  of 
Jesus  healing  the  blind  is  often  supposed  to  apply  to 
the  missionary,  who  is  locally  called  "  Jesus."  It  was 
during  the  French  war  in  Tonquin  that  this  woman's 
son  went  with  large  numbers  of  recruits  from  the 
Great  Chowtung  Plateau  to  join  the  forces  of  the  ter- 
rible Viceroy  Tsen,  the  father  of  the  present  Viceroy 
of  Szechuen,  who  has  settled  the  Boxer  troubles  there, 
after  the  war  was  over,  the  mother,  who  was  a  widow, 
anxiously  looked  for  her  son's  return,  as  he  was  her  only 
support.  One  day  the  sad  news  came  that  she  would 
never  see  her  boy  again,  as  he  had  died  in  that  fright- 
fully malarious  country.  The  poor  woman  gave  her- 
self up  to  uncontrollable  grief,  and  literally  cried  her 
eyes  out. 

"  Give  sorrow  words :  the  grief  that  does  not  speak 
Whispers  the  o'erfraught  heart  and  bids  it  break." 

The  inhabitants  of  this  district  seem  to  be  quiet  and 
well-behaved.  Indeed,  the  people  of  Tongchuan  are 
said  to  be  so  easily  governed  that  it  can  be  done  lying 
down.  This  the  Mandarins  literally  do,  for  opium  is 
usually  smoked  in  that  position. 

In  the  I  Li  River  the  natives  had  devised  a  curious 
fish  trap  with  stones  placed  in  the  shape  of  a  horse-shoe. 
The  opening  was  down  stream,  made  shallow  at  the 


Ixir 


Ixvi 


A  MAGNIFICENT  PROSPECT          197 

entrance  and  deepened  inside.  The  fish  go  in  and  are 
unable  to  find  their  way  out.  The  scheme  works  ad- 
mirably, and  many  unwary  fish  are  caught. 

After  making  sixty  li,  we  turned  a  few  li  out  of  our 
way  to  Great  Bridge,  which  spans  the  I  Li,  and  stopped 
at  a  small,  one-story  inn  for  the  night.  The  next  morn- 
ing we  started  early  and  travelled  by  the  light  of  the 
pale  silver  moon,  just  sinking  in  the  west,  and  very 
soon  to  be  submerged  in  the  sea  of  golden  light  which 
gradually  broke  over  the  sky  from  the  east.  The  effect 
was  magnificent  beyond  description.  Past  the  Post- 
of-Three-Families  were  white-necked  ravens,  "  parson 
crows,"  and  a  flock  of  jays.  I  saw  magpies  innumer- 
able everywhere,  and  wild  geese.  A  grey  kite  and  a 
white-headed  hawk  were  having  a  dispute  about  some 
prey  in  the  river. 

Thirty  li  from  Great  Bridge,  at  the  village  of  Part- 
ridge, preparations  were  being  made  for  a  funeral.  The 
house  of  the  deceased  denoted  that  he  was  a  person  of 
small  means.  But  on  a  pole  full  thirty  feet  high  were 
hung  scores  of  rings  three  feet  in  diameter,  from  each 
of  which  fluttered  hundreds  of  strips  of  cut  paper,  each 
strip  representing  one  thousand  cash.  The  whole  was 
to  be  burned  for  the  use  of  the  deceased  in  the  next 
world.  He  was  poor  in  this  world,  but  would  be  a 
millionaire  in  the  next,  as  soon  as  this  paper,  worth- 
less here,  but  valuable  in  Hades,  was  burnt  and  became 
his  property.  In  addition  to  all  this  paper  money,  two 
paper  horses  were  waiting  to  be  conveyed  to  him  in  the 
same  way,  and  a  paper  sedan  chair  with  the  usual  com- 
plement of  attendants,  finished  the  equipment.  A  tile 
on  the  roof  had  been  removed  to  let  the  "  Breath  Money 
Spirit  "  out.  Has  this  anything  to  do  with  the  English 
expression,  "  He  has  a  tile  loose  ?  " 

At  the  end  of  sixty  li  we  began  the  ascent  of  the 


198  TEN  THOUSAND  FEET  ABOVE  SEA 

great  Shao  Pai  mountain.  It  was  a  steep  climb,  first 
up  a  slope,  then  a  gradual  ascent  until  the  highest  point 
of  this  present  journey  was  reached.  The  Chinese 
say  that  the  road  up  is  fifteen  li,  but  going  down  it 
is  but  ten  li,  a  thing  that  is  not  very  absurd  when  one 
recollects  that  in  Chinese  calculations,  time  as  well  as 
length  is  considered.  The  views  from  the  slope 
of  Shao  Pai  are  surpassingly  grand.  Some  of 
the  distant  mountains  in  sight  are  twelve  thousand 
feet  above  the  Yellow  Sea,  and  at  that  time  were  cov- 
ered with  snow.  Away  to  the  north,  on  a  rocky 
summit,  almost  inaccessible,  and  surrounded  by 
stumpy  trees,  is  the  famous  Temple  of  "The  Collective 
Kings."  The  priest  is  certainly  not  troubled  with  any 
considerable  number  of  worshippers.  The  sunlight  on 
the  variegated  landscape  gave  such  a  glow  and  surprise 
to  the  mind  that  one  was  well  repaid  for  the  hard 
work  of  the  ascent.  The  mountain  is  often  visited 
by  heavy  gales,  during  which  neither  chairs  nor 
pedestrians  can  pass.  To  the  east  is  Mount  Nochu- 
tsao,  which  shifted  its  position  three  years  ago,  the 
gigantic  movement  annihilating  more  than  a  score  of 
families. 

At  the  top  of  the  pass,  ten  thousnad  feet  above  the 
sea,  the  temperature  was  thirty-eight  degrees  Fahren- 
heit. Far  below,  to  the  west,  stretches  out  the  Plain- 
of-the-Wild-Horse,  beautiful,  but  almost  useless  for 
cultivation,  as  there  seems  to  be  no  outlet  for  the  drain- 
age. Flocks  of  sheep  and  goats,  with  shepherds  wear- 
ing large  white  capes  made  from  the  wool  of  their  own 
sheep,  dotted  the  plain.  The  making  of  rugs  in  North- 
eastern Yunnan,  from  home-grown  wool,  is  a  con- 
siderable industry.  We  had  to  eat  the  "  Upper 
Noon  "  at  Mouth-of-the-Paper-Factory,  and  paid  sev- 
eral cash  for  a  cup  of  water.  The  water  must  all 


THE  FEAR  OF  LEPROSY  199 

be  carried  to  this  lofty  situation  from  a  mountain 
stream  far  below.  The  people  are  very  poor,  and  the 
village  has  one  street  seventy  feet  long,  which  is  the 
width  of  the  ridge  at  this  spot.  After  stopping  there 
for  some  rude  refreshment,  we  began  the  descent.  For 
five  li  the  road  was  in  the  bed  of  a  stream ;  then  across 
the  Great-Plain- Where-the-Salt-Marsh-Plant-Grows. 
The  atmosphere  was  exhilarating.  There  are  very 
few  dwellings  on  this  plain,  but  at  the  south  end 
stands  a  guard  house  commanding  the  long  stretch  of 
level  land.  The  region  is  infested  by  bold  robber 
bands. 

The  sun  had  not  set  when  we  entered  Leper's  Head 
Hill,  a  village  with  one  street.  The  inn  was  good,  as 
its  name,  "  Reviving  Again  Inn,"  gave  promise.  The 
usual  monstrous  pictures  disfigured  the  doors.  We 
soon  had  a  charcoal  fire  going,  and  a  pigtail  entered 
and  asked  if  I  would  have  some  eggs.  Now  it  so 
happened  that  I  said  "No,"  for  of  late  I  had  used  so 
many  that  I  was  ashamed  to  look  a  chicken  in  the  face. 
This  led  the  man  to  think  that  I  believed  the  curious 
superstition  of  the  place.  I  jotted  this  down :  "  WARN- 
ING !  The  Public  is  warned  against  eating  eggs  in  this 
place,  as  there  is  danger  of  contracting  leprosy."  Lep- 
rosy is  a  disease  of  which  the  Chinese  are  very  much 
afraid,  and  not  without  reason.  In  this  Province  of 
Yunnan  there  are  thousands  of  leprous  persons.  No 
remedy  is  known  for  the  disease  except  to  burn  the 
patient,  and  this  is  often  done.  Cases  have  been  known 
where  the  victim,  after  having  been  stupefied  with 
opium,  has  been  placed  in  a  house,  which  was 
then  set  on  fire  and  the  leper  cremated  on  the 
spot. 

In  this  village  a  busy  market  is  held  on  the  days 
belonging  to  the  Dragon  and  the  Dog.  During  the 


200  DOG  LEE  AND  SPRING  LEE 

night  I  was  awakened  by  the  noise  of  drums  and 
cymbals.  The  people  of  the  village  temple  were 
escorting  the  spirits  back  to  Hades,  and  on  their 
return  bringing  water  from  a  noted  well  in  the 
neighbourhood. 

Next  morning,  by  the  light  of  the  full  moon,  my 
caravan  cheerfully  passed  down  the  deserted  street 
and  out  of  Leper's  Head  Hill.  It  proved  to  be  a  merry 
day.  We  had  a  great  deal  of  fun  with  the  two  runners 
sent  to  accompany  us.  Both  surnames  were  pro- 
nounced "  Lee,"  one  being  distinguished  by  Lee-of-the- 
Double-Mouth,  and  the  other  as  Lee-of-the- Wooden- 
Son.  The  name  of  the  Double-mouthed  Lee  was  Sia 
Keo,  which  means  little  dog,  or  merely  "dog"  for 
short.  The  name  of  the  other  was  Ch'uen  "  Spring." 
Spring  Lee,  like  his  namesake,  was  full  of  life  and  fun : 
Dog  Lee  had  a  more  wooden  face,  behind  which,  how- 
ever, lurked  a  fund  of  humour  easily  tapped.  Dog 
Lee  was  nineteen  years  old.  He  is  not  married  be- 
cause he  has  not  money  enough  to  get  a  wife,  and  he 
lamented  the  fact  that  he  had  no  whiskers.  He  also 
had  no  pigtail,  explaining  the  loss  of  this  Celestial 
badge  by  saying  that  he  was  ill  last  year  and  it  dropped 
off.  Spring  Lee  was  sixteen,  and  could  swear  like  a 
trooper.  Dog  Lee  lost  one  of  the  pairs  of  straw  san- 
dals he  was  carrying;  whereupon  Spring  Lee  threat- 
ened disaster  on  Dog  Lee's  father,  mother,  the  other 
members  of  his  family,  and  his  ancestors  in  general. 
Both  boys  were  delighted  with  their  work,  especially 
when  I  shot  at  wild  geese.  They  wore  uniforms  with 
the  legend,  "  Catching  Soldier,"  although  I  cannot 
imagine  what  they  could  catch,  except  an  epidemic 
going  in  the  opposite  direction.  Along  with  the  fun, 
I  had  what  the  Chinese  call  a  "  Walking  Stomach," 
and  rode  in  my  mountain  chair  more  than  usual,  which 


A  CURE  FOR  CRYING  BABIES        201 

latter  led  the  chair  coolies  to  remark  aside,  "  The 
Living  Road  is  on  the  chair  and  is  substantial,  i.e., 
heavy."  We  stirred  up  several  larks  and  stopped  to 
drink  delicious  cool  water  at  the  Dragon  Spring.  In 
China  it  is  unwise  to  drink  even  beautiful  running 
water  unless  you  see  it  is  at  the  fountain  head,  for 
various  reasons.  In  the  great  valley  we  were  traver- 
sing, trees  are  plentiful.  The  Government  has  issued 
a  proclamation  advising  people  to  plant  trees,  and 
promising  official  rank  to  all  who  plant  ten  thousand 
trees.  Near  Yakeo-l'ang  on  a  tree,  was  hung  a  notice 
in  poetry,  which  is  here  translated  in  prose  for  the 
"  gentle  reader." 

"  Yellow  Heaven  and  Green  Earth : 
I  have  a  squalling  brat  at  home. 

Will  the  gentleman  passing  by  please  read  this  verse? 
And  let  me  sleep  till  early  dawn  ?  " 

This  request  is  seen  all  over  Central  China  posted  up 
on  bridges,  walls  and  hills.  The  idea  that  a  reader's 
baby  will  catch  the  "  squalls  "  by  one  perusal  is  novel, 
if  not  altruistic.  From  this  I  gather  that  crying  babies 
are  the  same  all  over  the  world. 

The  sun  like  a  ball  of  fire  dropped  into  the  west, 
and  by  the  light  of  burning  forests  on  the  mountain 
sides  we  entered  Willow  Woods,  Yanglin. 


m 


If  one  looks  at  the  heavens  from  the  bottom  of  a  well  his  vision 
will  be  limited. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

HOW  TO  TRAVEL WRITTEN  AGREEMENTS — CHI- 
NESE COOLIES ARCHERY  TESTS THE  RULE  OF 

VICEROY  TS'EN — BLOOD  AND  IRON. 

T  was  a  Saturday  when  I  arrived  at 
Yanglin,  and  we  quietly  sojourned 
the  next  day  in  the  "  Star  of 
Happiness  Inn,"  one  of  the  best  I 
have  visited  in  the  Province  of 
Yunnan.  The  hostel  and  its  land- 

Wheelbarrow.  1       j    TV/T      /~-i  i  j 

lord,  Mr.  Chang,  have  good  reputa- 
tions. In  my  room  several  enthusiastic  guests  had 
written  up  testimonials  on  the  wooden  walls.  Here  is 
a  translation  of  two  of  them. 

Among  Yanglin  inns  the  first  is  the  "Star  of  Happiness." 

The  landlord  is  benevolent  and  righteous,  worth  a  thousand  of 

gold. 

The  two  honourable  cooks  are  kind  indeed, 
Never  neglecting  for  a  single  half-hour  to  supply  you  with  tea 

and  water. 

The  "  Star  of  Happiness  "  Inn  is  the  first  in  Yunnan. 
It  is  clean  and  quiet  like  the  "  Caves  of  Heaven." 
Tea,  water,  and  all  things  are  convenient. 
The  landlord  is  more  diligent  than  all  Earth's  worthies. 

On  entering  the  city,  a  vicious  dog,  probably  mad. 
made  at  me.     Fortunately  a  fine  hammerless  revolver 


TWO  STONE  ARCH  BRIDGES  IN  FAR  WESTERN  CHINA. 


Ixvii 


Ixviii 


MAD  DOGS  203 

was  at  my  belt,  and  before  the  savage  brute  could  do 
me  damage,  I  sent  a  chunk  of  lead  through  his  ugly 
brain.  Mad  dogs  are  quite  numerous  in  this  section, 
and  cause  the  death  of  many  people.  The  Chinese 
theory  is  that  the  bite  of  a  mad  dog  breeds  a  small 
dog  in  the  stomach  of  the  victim,  which  barks  and 
causes  death.  One  mother,  finding  her  boy  bitten  by 
a  dog,  gave  him  several  Nux  Vomica  beans,  which, 
instead  of  curing,  killed  the  unfortunate  lad  im- 
mediately. Sometimes  a  dog  bites  the  shadow  of  a 
person,  and  this  is  supposed  by  the  superstitious 
Chinese  to  be  more  deadly  in  its  effects  than  the  actual 
bite. 

Two  main  roads  to  Yunnan  City  join  in  this  town, 
one,  the  Mandarin's  road  from  Kwei  Chow  Province, 
and  the  other  from  Szechuen,  by  which  we  came.  Here 
also  is  the  telegraph,  and  there  is  a  Government  Post 
Office  in  the  city.  Staying  at  the  same  inn  were  some 
of  the  retinue  of  four  French  officials  who  were  osten- 
sibly surveying  for  the  railroad.  Whatever  their  busi- 
ness may  be  called,  there  is  not  much  the  French  do 
not  know  about  Yunnan  Province,  and  if  war  broke 
out  between  France  and  China  they  would  not  be 
caught  napping. 

By  far  the  best  means  of  travelling  in  China  is 
to  walk.  But  coolies  the  traveller  must  have,  and  it 
is  therefore  always  best  to  get  a  written  agreement 
both  as  to  time  and  price.  In  all  my  journey,  and 
I  had  now  come  over  two  thousand  miles,  there  had 
been  no  trouble  with  those  I  had  employed.  The  con- 
tracts were  brushed  on  red  paper  and  the  items  in- 
serted. The  Chinaman  will  haggle  over  the  making  of 
an  agreement,  but  once  it  is  signed  you  may  safely 
rely  on  him  to  keep  his  part  if  you  show  a  disposition 
to  do  likewise.  It  may  be  difficult  when  on  the  road 


204      THE  VIRTUES  OF  HOT  WATER 

to  modify  a  contract;  everything  should  be  carefully 
gone  over  at  the  very  first.  Throughout  these  sixty 
days  across  the  Land  of  Confucius,  which  I  had  come, 
not  a  parcel  of  mine  had  been  lost,  not  a  thing  stolen, 
and  that  is  remarkable  because  my  bags  contained 
cameras  and  additional  lenses,  and  were  carried  by 
many  different  coolies  over  rough,  slippery,  and,  at 
times,  dangerous  roads.  The  Chinese  coolie  is  able  to 
carry  two  hundred  pounds,  but  his  usual  load  is  about 
ninety  pounds,  and  with  it  he  will  usually  go  fifteen 
or  twenty  miles  a  day ;  but  my  men  were  under  special 
arrangements,  and  went  nearly  fifty  miles  in  that 
time.  They  watched  the  things  while  eating,  and 
guarded  them  under  all  circumstances.  These  same 
coolies  might  be  open  to  temptation  to  take  from  an- 
other traveller,  but  they  will  protect  their  master  and 
his  property.  Another  pleasant  feature  of  the  journey 
is  that  at  whatever  hostel,  in  whatsoever  sized  city, 
village  or  hamlet,  it  is  needed,  boiling  water  can  always 
be  obtained.  The  Chinese  wash  in  hot  water  and 
drink  hot  water.  At  the  "  Star  of  Happiness  "  a  basin 
of  boiling  water  was  fetched  me.  I  then  took  my 
short  towel  a  la  Chinois,  dipped  it  into  the  water  and 
washed  with  it  instead  of  a  sponge,  letting  the  damp- 
ness dry.  Maybe  this  practice  of  using  hot  water 
inside  and  outside  has  killed  many  a  microbe  that 
else  would  have  made  a  pigtail  into  an  ancestor 
earlier  than  was  necessary.  The  meanest  coolie  will 
take  his  hot  towelling  twice  a  day  and  thus  have  a 
clean  towel! 

Then,  too,  good  nature  is  everywhere.  A  Chinaman 
understands  the  comitas  inter  gentes;  his  smile  is 
close  to  the  surface  and  is  easily  tapped.  Let  a 
traveller  be  half  decent  and  treat  the  Chinese  of  all 
classes  with  some  regard  to  the  golden  rule,  and  he 


COST  OF  DINNER  205 

will  find  a  kindly,  pleasant  people.  The  Chinaman 
is  not  as  hilarious  as  the  South  Sea  Islander,  nor  as 
shallow  as  a  Shan,  but  he  is  jovial — not  mirthful,  so 
much  as  full  of  quiet,  well-considered  fun.  He  loves 
games  of  chance,  not  so  much,  perhaps,  for  the  amuse- 
ment they  afford  as  for  the  opportunity  they  offer  of 
getting  something  without  the  dreadful  drudgery  of 
daily  toil. 

It  is  said  that  animals  recognize  a  master  man,  and 
are  ready  to  obey  him.  This  is  certainly  true  of 
human  beings.  In  America  or  China  there  must  be  a 
self -poise  and  dignity  which  compel  respect.  The 
Chinaman  knows  a  fool  when  he  sees  one,  even  if  he 
be  covered  with  a  white  epidermis.  I  have  learned 
that  it  pays  to  treat  even  a  cannibal  with  politeness. 
The  traveller  in  China  everywhere  should  avoid 
biliousness,  and  appropriate  much  good  nature  to 
his  own  use. 

"  He  who  surpasses  or  subdues  mankind 
Must  look  down  on  the  hate  of  those  below." 

On  Sunday  we  ate  the  goose  shot  on  Saturday.  The 
inn  cook  made  a  splendid  repast  of  the  bird.  The 
gravy  was  delicious.  I  also  had  forty  cash  (two  cents 
gold)  of  pickles,  a  small  basin  of  cooked  chicken  (five 
cents  gold),  three  sweet  potatoes  four  pounds  weight 
(nine  cash  a  pound).  The  price  in  the  inn  for  an  "  in 
and  out  "  is  seventy  cash. 

It  is  said  of  Captain  Gill  that  he  had  (when  a  boy) 
arranged  a  mechanical  contrivance  to  pull  off  his  bed- 
clothes at  a  very  early  hour,  and  was  thus  habitually 
at  wrork  long  before  breakfast.  Like  Captain  Gill, 
travellers  in  China  should  be  early  risers.  The  next 
morning  we  broke  the  record,  and  began  to  move 
before  midnight,  but  discovered  our  mistake  ere  any 
great  harm  was  done.  So,  deciding  the  hour  was  too 


206  YANKEE  DOODLE 

early,  we  slept  again!  However,  we  got  up  at  two- 
thirty  A.M.  by  our  watches,  which  we  afterwards 
found  to  be  an  hour  fast  by  the  arsenal  whistle  in 
Yunnan  City.  It  was  necessary  for  me  to  reach  the 
city  by  a  certain  hour,  and  we  first  succeeded  in  getting 
King  No.  3  out  of  bed,  and  sent  him  to  rouse  the  inn 
cook,  then  turned  our  attention  to  the  chairman  of  the 
coolies.  These  men  were  more  difficult  to  deal  with 
than  the  other  lot,  so  I  went  out  into  the  yard  and 
publicly  orated.  It  is  astonishing  what  an  effect 
Shakespeare  has  on  uneducated  Chinese  coolies,  a 
proof,  if  any  were  wanted,  of  the  immense  superiority 
of  the  English  language  over  any  other  form  of 
speech.  But  whistling  Yankee  Doodle  was  the  climax. 
Talk  about  stirring  the  blood  of  patriotic  Americans! 
It  moved  the  very  bones  of  those  Celestials. 

"  For  eloquence  the  soul,  song  charms  the  sense." 
After  this  performance  the  preparations  for  departure 
were  carried  briskly  on.  By  three-thirty  all  loads  were 
tied  up  and  everybody  was  laughing  and  devouring 
Early  Rice.  Just  before  four  the  procession  was  march- 
ing up  the  hill  leading  out  of  Yanglin,  lighted  by  the 
moon  struggling  against  the  depressing  influence  of 
dark  clouds.  Later  on,  drops  of  rain  fell,  and  a  tor- 
rent soon  came  down  in  blocks,  acres,  miles.  A  cot- 
tage by  the  roadside  tempted  shelter,  but  the  inmates 
were  slow  to  respond  to  the  appeals  of  the  men,  fear- 
ing robbers.  The  mention  of  robbers  suggested  pos- 
sibilities. We  got  in  at  last,  and  sat  down  in  a 
miserable  room.  Fortunately  the  rain  soon  ceased,  and 
we  were  off  again.  The  paved  roadway  was  very  diffi- 
cult to  travel  in  the  uncertain  light.  At  the  end  of 
eight  li  in  the  light  of  winter  daybreak  we  passed  the 
small  village  Little  Shop,  Sia  Pu  Tsz,  and  at  thirty 
li  stopped  at  Long  Hill.  The  people  were  just  getting 


BRASS  OX  SHRINE  207 

up.  Some  were  placing  huge  kettles  outside  their 
doors.  These  contained  the  fire  as  well  as  the  water, 
burning  wood  being  placed  right  in  the  centre  of  the 
huge  copper  utensil.  Smoke  and  flame  came  out  at 
the  top,  and  ashes  at  the  bottom.  Near  by  were  tables 
consisting  of  long  stone  slabs.  I  had  hot  water  to 
drink,  and  then  turned  beans  and  nuts  from  my  pocket 
on  to  the  table  for  the  men  to  eat.  There  were  a  few 
cash  mixed  with  the  rest — which  were  eagerly  seized 
and  pocketed. 

Leaving  this  quaint  little  village  we  made  a  spurt 
and  walked  thirty  li  in  about  two  hours.  The  walk 
was  grand,  the  road  being  level  and  unpaved.  Man- 
darin Wu  passed  us  going  down  to  take  over  the 
seals  of  the  District  Magistrate  of  Chowtung.  He 
had  several  women,  probably  wives  and  slave  girls, 
in  his  retinue.  These  Mandarins  are  usually  fond  of 
money  and  women.  We  passed  a  number  of  guard 
houses  to-day,  all  empty,  the  guards  having  been 
withdrawn  on  account  of  economy  at  headquarters. 
I  stopped  for  lunch,  at  the  end  of  sixty  li,  in  the  market 
town  of  Small  Wood  Bridge,  Siao  Pan  Chiao.  Rice 
was  ten  cash  a  basin,  gravy  gratis,  sauce  three  cash. 
At  home  one  usually  has  to  pay  for  gravy,  and  can 
get  the  sauce  free.  Eggs  were  seven  big  cash  each, 
and  tea  seven.  Two  kinds  of  cash  are  in  use,  the  large 
and  the  small.  About  twenty  of  the  large  and  thirty 
of  the  small  equal  a  gold  cent.  Heavy,  filthy  and  un- 
certain as  the  cash  is,  the  Chinese  cannot  do  without 
the  currency. 

Just  out  of  the  West  Gate  is  a  stone  bridge  which 
the  natives  say  trembles  when  walked  on,  although 
it  seemed  firm  enough.  Here  we  constantly  met 
droves  of  horses  and  hundreds  of  ox  and  buffalo  carts. 
The  wheels  of  the  carts  are  not  so  large  as  those  I 


208  NOTHING  LIKE  HEARTS 

noticed  around  Chowtung  City.  Seventy  li  from 
Yanglin  brought  us  to  another  stone  bridge,  on  the 
west  side  of  which  is  Brass  Ox  Shrine,  Tong  Nu  Sz. 
Here  is  a  dilapidated  mud  ox  minus  a  head.  Formerly 
a  brass  ox  occupied  the  altar.  It  was  worshipped 
by  many  people,  but  when  the  Mohammedan  Rebel- 
lion broke  out,  someone  did  with  the  ox  what  Crom- 
well did  with  the  silver  apostle  in  Exeter  Cathedral, 
melted  down  the  huge  lump  and  turned  it  into  ready 
"  cash."  The  Moslems  were  very  hard  on  metal. 
They  smashed  the  idols  to  get  the  hearts  of  precious 
metals.  The  Chinese  were  just  as  keen  on  hearts. 
Many  ate  the  hearts  of  slain  Mohammedans  in  order 
to  get  possessed  of  the  wonderful  bravery  which  the 
followers  of  Islam  conspicuously  showed.  "  Paradise 
under  the  shadow  of  swords  "  was  the  Islamic  battle- 
cry.  Nothing  like  hearts.  Many  of  the  horses  we 
met  to-day  were  carrying  large  empty  spirit  bottles. 
They  had  sold  their  spirit  in  Yunnan  City.  Several 
aboriginal  women  of  the  Samei  tribe,  carrying  heavy 
loads  on  their  backs,  trudged  along  cheerfully  chewing 
betel-nut.  One  tired  creature  sitting  by  the  roadside 
was  resting  her  little  feet,  for  the  small  "  golden 
lilies  "  make  it  difficult  for  the  women  to  walk  with 
ease.  Their  hobble  is  very  different  from  the  natural 
stride  of  the  aborigines.  The  mustard  plant  was  in 
bloom  in  many  fields.  Oil  is  extracted  from  the  seeds 
later  on.  Most  of  the  foothills  were  barren  and  unfit 
for  agriculture.  The  curiosity  of  the  people  was  shown 
everywhere.  When  I  stopped,  one  man  said  my  metal 
tripod  was  a  telescope,  called  in  Chinese  "  Thousand 
Li  Glass."  Another  declared  it  was  a  gun,  and  ex- 
plained to  an  anxious  on-looker  of  less  boldness  how 
it  would  shoot  at  each  joint! 

The  village  of  Fanga   Chiao  lies  eighty  li   from 


Ixix 


s^ 

US 


33 


w.S 


Ixx 


THE  TOWER  OF  LITERATURE        209 

Yanglin.  The  road  from  there  is  up  a  gentle  slope, 
beyond  which  the  great  plain  of  Yunnan  City  is  in 
view.  The  beautiful  lake  in  the  distance  skirts  the 
foot  of  high  hills.  When  on  a  lofty  situation  I  came 
upon  this  view  of  the  fertile  plain  with  its  villages 
and  cities,  it  was  doubly  entrancing  in  contrast  with 
the  scenery  I  had  just  passed.  Fifteen  li  further  on 
we  were  in  the  outskirts  of  Yunnan  City,  where  I  was 
greeted  very  cordially  by  Mr.  J.  McCarthy,  a  gentle- 
man of  sixty-three  years,  wonderfully  hearty  and  do- 
ing missionary  work  which  many  young  men  of  thirty 
would  shrink  from.  With  him  were  Messrs.  Owen 
Stevenson  and  F.  H.  Rhodes,  both  of  the  same 
mission. 

On  arriving  at  Yunnan  a  striking  tower,  beautifully 
proportioned,  was  one  of  the  first  objects  we  saw. 
Built  at  great  expense  and  finished  a  year  or  two  ago, 
it  forms  one  of  the  finest  sights  around  the  city.  It 
is  dedicated  to  the  god  of  Literature,  and  named  Tsu 
K'uie  Leu.  We  ascended  the  third  and  highest  story 
and  had  a  fine  view  of  the  south  suburb  of  the  city. 
I  took  a  photograph  looking  west.  Coming  down, 
we  passed  through  a  tea  shop  on  the  ground  floor, 
and  went  along  the  main  street  of  the  south  suburb, 
and  passed  under  a  low  archway  a  little  more  than 
six  feet  high.  Above  this  archway  is  an  Indian 
tumulus,  built  long  ago  when  princes  from  Burma 
and  Siam  had  more  influence  in  Yunnan  than  they 
now  have.  At  that  time  Yunnan  was  very  closely 
connected  with  these  countries.  In  the  tumulus  is 
said  to  be  buried  the  skull  of  a  man  named  Hwa 
Hsiong.  It  is  considered  very  unlucky  to  pass  under 
the  arch,  as  the  influence  of  the  skull  is  said  to  prevent 
the  growth  or  to  shorten  the  height  of  a  full-grown  per- 
son. If  my  friends  in  America  find  that  I  have  "  gone 

O 


Sib  ARCHERY  TESTS 

down  one/'  instead  of  up,  they  will  know  the  reason. 
There  is  a  way  round  on  both  sides  of  the  arch,  and 
this  is  used  by  nearly  all  the  passers-by. 

Further  on  we  passed  a  large  Customs  Station,  and 
saw  several  people  spinning  rope  from  the  fibre  of  the 
Tsung,  a  kind  of  palm  tree.  Turning  to  the  right, 
we  passed  a  large  military  camp,  and  then  came  to 
the  public  execution  ground,  where  many  tragic  scenes 
are  frequently  enacted.  A  few  years  ago,  before  the 
military  camps  were  abolished,  the  archery  trials  for 
the  military  "  Budding  Talent"  (B.A.)  and  "Ex- 
alted Man  "  (M.A.)  degrees  were  held.  A  trench  ran 
right  up  the  centre  of  the  ground,  and  three  targets 
would  be  placed  on  the  left  side  of  the  trench  The 
mounted  candidate  with  his  new  string  bow  and  three 
perfect  arrows,  would  start  from  one  end  at  a  gallop, 
and  his  purpose  would  be,  riding  as  fast  as  possible, 
to  shoot  a  shaft  into  each  mark  before  coming  out  into 
the  presence  of  the  examiner,  who  was  always  a  civil 
official  and  who,  perhaps,  had  never  touched  a  bow  in 
his  life.  The  well-trained  horses  would  go  at  a  great 
pace,  and  several  men,  skilled  in  the  art,  would 
strike  the  target  every  time.  The  archery  test  has 
now  been  abolished,  but  many  a  military  official  still 
prizes  his  bow.  It  may  be  that  archery  contests  will 
be  revived  some  day  by  a  reactionary  government. 
Even  so  late  as  the  Japanese  War  the  Government 
sent  for  a  large  body  of  aborigines  from  the  Province 
of  Kweichow,  many  of  them  armed  with  bow  and 
arrows,  to  go  and  fight  the  terrible  "  dwarfs  "  from 
the  land  of  the  Rising  Sun.  China  lags  far  behind  the 
times. 

Just  beyond  the  execution  ground  is  the  busy  street 
leading  into  the  South  Gate,  opposite  to  which  is  the 
magnificent  memorial  arch  bearing  the  characters 


A  SMART  PIECE  OF  WORK  211 

Chung  Ai — Loyalty  and  Love.  On  the  other  side  of 
the  street  are  shops  where  saddles  are  sold.  The  great 
horse  trade  centring  here  creates  a  demand  for  these 
articles.  Yunnan  City  has  six  gates,  the  North,  South, 
East  and  West,  with  a  Lesser  East  and  a  Lesser  West 
Gate.  We  entered  by  the  busiest,  the  South.  I  no- 
ticed that  the  shops  are  low,  but  they  carry  on  an 
extensive  business,  and  the  chief  banking  houses  are 
found  in  the  southern  quarter. 

In  the  memorable  and  blood-stained  reign  of  the  fa- 
mous Viceroy  Ts'en,  father  of  the  present  (nineteen 
hundred  and  three)  Viceroy  of  Szechuen,  this  street 
was  the  scene  of  a  smart  piece  of  work.  A  fire  broke 
out.  The  Viceroy  sent  his  soldiers  to  extinguish  the 
flames,  and  gave  strict  orders  that  no  looting  would  be 
allowed.  Then,  as  was  his  custom,  he  put  on  civilian 
clothes  and  went  out  to  see  how  things  were  going. 
Turning  a  corner  into  the  South  Street,  he  met  a  man 
with  an  armful  of  loot,  and  promptly  stopped  the 
offender,  asking  who  he  was.  With  a  polite  (?)  refer- 
ence to  the  interrogator's  ancestors  the  man  swore  and 
in  return  asked  who  he  was.  "  I'll  tell  you  and  kill 
you,"  said  the  Viceroy,  and,  suiting  the  action  to  the 
word,  he  drew  his  heavy  sword  and  with  one  stroke 
cut  the  presumptuous  looter  in  two.  No  wonder,  then, 
that  the  great  Viceroy  made  his  name  a  terror  to  all 
Secret  Society  men  and  thieves.  Even  the  beggars  and 
audacious  vagrants,  an  uncontrollable  pest  in  most 
Chinese  cities,  put  on  their  best  behaviour  while  the 
Viceroy  was  in  power.  He  ruled  the  Province  with  an 
iron  will,  and  thousands  of  people  must  have  been 
killed  by  him.  It  is  reported  that  when  a  young  man, 
he  dreamed  that  he  would  kill  ten  thousand  bad  men. 
He  may  not  have  been  over-conscientious  in  making 
enquiry  about  the  moral  character  of  his  victims,  but 


212  A  MERCILESS  VICEROY 

at  any  rate  the  dream  came  true !  In  the  house  which 
is  now  occupied  by  the  China  Inland  Mission  at  Kuh 
Tsing  City,  five  stages  from  here,  Ts'en  made  his 
head-quarters  during  one  period  of  the  Mohammedan 
Rebellion.  It  is  said  that  in  this  one  place  he  signed 
the  death  warrants  of  over  ten  thousand  people. 
Many  of  these  he  killed  with  his  own  hand.  Un- 
doubtedly he  was  one  of  the  strongest  Chinese  rulers 
of  modern  years,  though  fierce  and  cruel.  He  was  the 
man  for  the  time,  and  brought  back  peace  and  order 
to  that  distracted  Province.  Towards  the  end  of  his 
life  he  was  haunted  by  visions  of  revengeful  spirits 
which  he  had  disembodied. 

"  We  but  teach 

Bloody  instructions,  which,  being  taught,  return 
To  plague  the  inventor." 

While  absent  on  one  of  his  long  journeys  to  the  west 
of  the  Province,  the  hallucination  became  so  great  that 
he  had  to  return  home.  The  spirits  accompanied 
him  in  great  numbers,  and  no  doctor  in  the  city 
could  lay  them.  A  missionary  was  suggested,  but  the 
Viceroy  refused  to  see  him.  So  the  great  Ts'en  died. 
He  now  shares  the  honour  of  a  temple  with  the  god 
of  War,  who  occupies  the  chief  place.  A  very 
striking  image  of  Ts'en  has  been  erected,  and  incense 
is  regularly  burned  to  him.  The  ruling  spirit  was 
strong  "  after  death,"  and  it  is  reported  that  he  made 
things  warm  in  the  next  world  when  he  got  there. 
In  some  villages  west  of  the  city  an  epidemic  carried 
off  large  numbers  of  the  people.  The  explanation 
was  given  that  Viceroy  Ts'en  was  engaged  in  war  in 
the  lower  regions,  and  being  short  of  troops,  recruited 
his  forces  by  sending  an  epidemic  to  his  old  Province 
of  Yunnan.  A  man  that  can  stir  Earth  and  Hell  both 
must  be  a  remarkable  man. 


A  DISLOYAL  MOTHER  213 

Ts'en  had  a  curious  career.  He  was  a  native  of 
the  Province  of  Kwangsi,  and  one  of  the  aborigines. 
Early  in  life  he  lost  his  father,  and  the  mother  had  so 
little  faith  in  her  sons  that  she  persisted  in  marrying 
again.  The  law  in  China  is  that  if  a  woman  remarries, 
she  must  never  return  to  the  house  of  her  first  husband. 
Ts'en  never  forgave  his  mother.  He  became  a  B.A., 
and  like  many  others  of  his  provincials,  went  into 
the  robbing  business.  He  made  things  so  warm  in 
this  line  that  he  was  wanted  and  at  last  surrounded, 
but  managed  to  escape,  taking  with  him  some 
hundreds  of  ounces  of  silver.  He  fled  to  Yunnan, 
and  finding  that  offices  were  open  for  sale,  purchased 
a  small  rank  for  two  hundred  taels;  and  when 
the  rebellion  broke  out,  rapidly  rose  to  power. 
When  he  became  Viceroy,  his  mother  claimed  her 
son,  but  he  declined  to  be  claimed,  and  refused 
her  overtures,  although  she  frequently  waylaid  him. 
'  You  refused  to  trust  me  when  I  was  poor  and  un- 
known. You  had  no  faith  in  your  son.  You  joined 
another  family.  Stay  where  you  are."  He,  however, 
made  her  a  present  of  silver,  but  declined  to  recognise 
her. 

We  made  our  way  up  the  busy  street  to  the  Middle 
Harmony  Lane,  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  city.  Here 
I  was  warmly  welcomed  into  the  home  of  Mr.  Owen 
Stevenson,  who  has  been  working  in  the  town  as  a 
missionary  for  nearly  twenty  years. 


If  men  will  not  learn  they  are  not  as  good  as  brutes. — Child's 
Classic. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


CHINESE  INTERPRETERS A  STREET  OF  SHOPS A 

MYTH  WITH  A  MEANING AN  INTERVIEW  WITH  A 

VICEROY OFFICIAL    APATHY    IN     CHINA THE 

GREATEST     NEEDS     OF     CHINA — THE     YAMEN     IN 
TIME  OF  REBELLION. 

lISITING  cards  four  and  a  half 
inches  wide  by  nine  and  a  half 
long  are  proper  for  a  "  big  bug  " 
in  China.  I  had  a  die  cut  in 
Shanghai,  and  two  hundred  of 
the  above  size  ( !)  printed  black 
on  blood  red.  My  large  red 
Mandarin's  card  was  despatched 
to  the  Yamen  by  a  highly- 
polished  Chinaman  in  the  employ  of  the  British 
Consul  at  Tengyueh,  and  I  asked  the  Acting  Viceroy 
to  appoint  a  time  for  an  interview.  He  replied  he 
would  receive  me  at  one  P.M.  I  borrowed  a  Mandarin's 
chair  from  the  discreet  official  in  charge  of  Foreign 
Affairs  in  the  city,  and,  at  ten  to  one,  set  out 
in  proper  (torn-fool)  style.  Four  men  carried  the 
chair  and  four  men  supported  the  poles  at  one  side. 
Each  man  had  to  bear  about  thirty  pounds  as  his 
share  of  the  chair  and  occupant,  the  whole  weighing 
two  hundred  and  forty  pounds.  With  so  many  men 


Smoking  Opium. 


Ixxi 


THE  GREAT  SQUARE  PAGODA,  near  the  South  Gate,  Chu  Siung  Fu,  Frr 
Western  China.  When  the  rebellion  led  by  the  frantic  Ling  Lieu  waxed  strong,  the 
Ueomancers  ordered  the  closing  'of  the  South  Gate  of  the  City.  It  has  remained  closed 


Ixxii 


CHINESE  INTERPRETERS  215 

we  slipped  along  quickly.  The  Viceroy  had  an  inter- 
preter, but  learning  that  his  English  was  imperfect,  I 
asked  my  friend,  Mr.  Samuel  Pollard,  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  Chinese  speakers  I  have  met,  to  go  with  me. 
This  was  a  fortunate  move,  and  showed  how  completely 
one  is  at  the  mercy  of  an  interpreter. 

It  convinced  me  of  the  mistake  our  own  Government 
(the  United  States)  makes  in  employing  Chinese  trans- 
lators and  interpreters  at  the  Consulates.  People  speak 
about  the  blunders  of  missionaries,  but  what  greater 
mistake  could  be  made  than  that  of  appointing  natives 
to  positions  of  such  great  trust — men  who  are  imper- 
fectly educated  and  who  speak  the  English  language 
very  indifferently  ?  Now  that  our  trade  is  becoming  so 
extensive  in  the  East,  America  should  follow  England 
in  requiring  the  Consuls  in  China  to  know  Chinese,  and 
to  qualify  themselves  for  their  position  by  first  studying 
the  Chinese  language. 

We  first  went  up  the  gentle  slope  of  the  Middle 
Harmony  Passage,  Chong  Ho  Hang,  on  which  one  of 
the  Inland  Mission  houses  faces,  and  then  turned  sharp 
to  the  left  into  the  Street  of  the  City  Hell  Temple. 
On  this  street  are  shops  for  the  sale  of  native  medi- 
cines, gorgeous  Indian  prints,  confectionery,  native 
cloth  and  other  articles.  Here  and  there  in  the  busy 
crowd  was  a  white-faced  lady  attended  by  a  natural- 
footed  slave  girl.  A  sunshade  was  used  to  protect 
the  pale  face  from  the  heat,  but  old  Father  Sol  would 
have  found  it  difficult  to  change  the  white  powder 
into  a  bright  red.  I  wonder  how  these  ladies  manage 
to  blush  through  such  a  coating.  They  must  do  all 
the  blushing  inside.  Some  of  the  powdered  faces  look 
haggard  in  spite  of  the  white  powder  so  generously 
and  elaborately  applied.  Often  the  slave  girl  is  more 
interesting  than  the  lady  in  the  "  golden  lilies  "  and 


2i6  OLD  CLOTHES 

broomstick  legs.  Art  is  more  prized  than  nature — 
by  the  vulgar. 

A  quick  turn  to  the  right  took  us  into  "  Shining 
Happiness  Street."  This  street  is  worth  seeing.  The 
low,  open  shops  are  thickly  hung  with  clothes  for  sale. 
:Bright  ailk  garments  for  all  kinds  of  people  were 
exhibited.  Ladies'  robes  and  jackets  were  like  the 
rainbow,  red,  green,  blue,  purple,  heliotrope — delicate 
half-colours  dazzled  the  eyes.  The  richest  of  all  were 
costumes  for  actors,  costing  one  hundred  and  even 
two  hundred  taels  of  silver.  These  were  visions  of 
brilliant  colours  which  "  are  begot  in  the  ventricle 
of  memory  "  long  after  they  have  passed.  A  lady's 
robe  or  jacket  in  satin  can  be  purchased  for  sixteen 
taels,  or  about  ten  dollars  gold.  Among  the  shops 
with  the  brilliant  garments  were  interspersed  other 
shops  for  the  sale  of  brass  censors,  brass  candlesticks, 
brass  wash  bowls,  brilliant  scrolls  illuminated  with 
choice  figures  or  characters,  hats,  chinaware  from  the 
famed  potteries  in  the  distant  Province  of  Kiangsi,  and 
opium  pipes  of  many  varieties  and  different  prices. 
An  opium  pipe  can  be  bought  for  one  hundred  cash  or 
one  hundred  taels.  Old  ones  are  prized,  as  they  are 
saturated  with  poison,  and  so  do  not  deprive  the 
smoker  of  any  of  the  fumes  by  absorption  as  they 
pass  down  the  long  tube  into  his  eager  throat.  The 
"  well-gorged  "  pipe  is  most  highly  valued. 

Another  turn  to  the  left  brought  us  into  the  Siyuen- 
Kiai,  on  which  stands  the  Yamen  of  the  Governor 
and  Acting  Viceroy  of  the  Province  of  Yunnan.  A 
few  yards  further  we  turned  again  to  the  right  and 
were  on  the  ground  inside  the  Big  Gates  of  the  court- 
yard. This  ground  is  given  up  to  sellers  of  "  Ancient 
Regulations,"  as  curious  and  second-hand  articles 
are  called.  What  a  big  supply  of  such  stuff  Western 


A  CURIOUS  ALLEGORY  217 

Powers  could  supply  China  with.  She  is  fond  of  buying 
up  antiquated  rifles  discarded  by  Western  Powers, 
and  possibly  she  may  yet  try  her  hand  at  adopting 
some  Western  Ancient  Regulations.  A  most  curious 
collection  one  finds  on  the  stands  here — old  cash 
which  were  old  when  Julius  Caesar  conquered  Britain 
(he  never  conquered  America),  and  old  nails  which 
were  new  but  a  few  months  ago.  Inkslabs,  pens, 
swords,  knives,  beads,  cups,  vases,  chains  for  tying 
up  buffaloes  or  madmen,  opium  pipes  of  all  states  and 
ages.  Here  and  there  amid  such  rubbish  a  prize  is 
hidden  away  whose  value  the  smart  owner  has  over- 
looked. Sometimes  one  can  pick  up  a  treasure,  but 
the  most  part  is  only  old  iron. 

In  the  gates  go  the  chairs,  through  the  "  Door  of 
Palisades,"  and  we  are  in  the  great  outer  reserve  of 
the  Yamen.  A  most  interesting  place  this  proves  to 
be.  On  the  south  is  a  huge  wall  with  fantastic  paint- 
ings on  it.  A  wall  of  this  kind  is  a  familiar  figure  out- 
side all  Yamens. 

The  principal  figure  on  the  south  wall  is  a  Tan, 
forty  feet  long,  representing  a  fabulous  monster  shaped 
like  an  unicorn.  This  great  beast  is  trying  to  get  at 
and  devour  the  sun  depicted  just  above,  and  represents 
the  insatiate  covetousness  of  officials.  The  point  of 
the  myth  is,  therefore,  real  when  we  know  that  T'an, 
the  character  for  this  beast,  is  the  character  for  covet- 
ousness. The  T'an  beast  is  a  myth,  the  T'an  heart 
is  most  real.  How  extremely  Chinese  all  this  is! 
How  comically  it  would  work  in-Western  lands.  Sup- 
pose every  public  official  in  Christendom  was  com- 
pelled to  portray  the  ruling  passion  of  his  heart  out- 
side his  door!  What  a  grand  variety  of  sign-boards! 
Congressmen!  M.P.'s!  Syndicate  Men!  Designing 
Mothers-in-law ! 


218  MONKEY  SYMBOLISM 

The  Tan  is  treading  on  the  "  Eight  Precious 
Things,"  and  by  his  side  on  the  right  is  a  tree,  on  one 
of  the  high  branches  of  which  is  hung  an  official  seal 
used  by  the  great  statesmen  of  China.  Reaching  out  to 
grasp  this  sign  of  high  office  is  the  Divine  Monkey, 
representing  the  officials  grasping  after  higher  position 
and  more  power.  A  history  of  "  Monkey  Business  in 
China  "  would  out-monkey  all  the  antics  of  the  animals. 
In  the  case  of  lower  officials  there  is  some  distance  be- 
tween the  monkey's  hand  and  the  seal  it  longs  to  hold. 
To-day,  however,  this  particular  monkey  had  his  hand 
right  on  the  seal,  for  the  Mandarin  of  this  Yamen, 
Lin  Shao  Nien,  had  in  his  charge  the  Viceroy's  Seal, 
the  greatest  prize  in  the  Province. 

"  Power,  like  a  desolating  pestilence, 
Pollutes  whate'er  it  touches." 

Good  old  monkey  got  it  at  last.  Years  of  patient 
waiting,  creeping  nearer  and  nearer,  and  now  success. 
Underneath  the  tree  are  drawn  five  tigers  and  three 
lions,  of  extraordinary  appearance,  such  as  no  lion 
or  tiger  would  be  proud  of.  The  lion  would  try  some 
warm  streaks  for  the  author  of  the  caricature  if  he 
found  him.  These  lions  and  tigers  represent  the 
generals  and  other  military  officers  of  the  Province 
who  have  come  under  the  control  of  the  Governor 
since  he  has  taken  a  higher  office.  Military  officials 
are  usually  under  the  control  of  the  Viceroy,  and  the 
lions  and  tigers  do  not  usually  grace  the  Governor's 
wall.  Close  against  the  big  wall  are  two  high  flag- 
staffs  with  long  flags  having  on  them  in  huge  letters 
the  rank  of  the  Governor.  Right  opposite  are  two 
covered-in  bandstands,  where  musicians  play  squeaky 
instruments  morn,  noon  and  night,  three  times  a  day, 
and  also  for  some  seconds  whenever  the  Governor 
leaves  the  Yamen.  He  goes  out  in  great  state, 


ENTERING  THE  YAMEN  219 

preceded  by  twelve  pairs  of  red  uniformed  soldiers 
carrying  tridents;  with  him  are  several  small  officials 
bearing  swords  in  their  hands.  At  the  sides  near  the 
bandstands  are  low  houses  occupied  by  "  runners." 
Our  chairs  now  reached  the  "First  Gate  "  (T'eo-men). 
A  servant  received  our  cards  and  hastened  in  to  an- 
nounce our  arrival,  and  with  our  chairs  still  carried 
high,  we  waited  a  few  moments  for  the  great  gates  to 
open  and  the  Mandarin  to  welcome  us  in  his  official 
robes. 

While  waiting,  the  Arsenal  whistles  began  to  blow 
one  o'clock.  We  were  on  time.  Almost  immediately 
the  doors  began  to  swing  open,  and  the  high  door-gods 
displayed  thereon  stepped  aside  to  allow  the  entrance 
of  the  American  traveller  and  his  English  interpreter — 
an  Anglo-Saxon  alliance  to  which  the  very  gods  gave 
way.  There  were  six  of  these  octopod  gods  on  the 
First  Gate.  In  through  this  entrance  we  came  to  an- 
other large  courtyard  surrounded  by  low  houses,  and 
on  the  left  were  two  doorways  leading  into  quarters 
where  soldiers  and  officers  dwelt.  Small  trees  were 
on  each  side,  and  straight  in  front  the  Second  Gate, 
on  either  side  of  which  were  tablets  with  long  handles 
to  carry  them  by,  bearing  gilt  letters,  inscriptions  de- 
noting what  offices  the  Governor  had  held  in  his  long 
career,  or  what  success  and  reward  he  had  obtained 
in  Government  examinations.  There  were  fifty  such 
boards.  They  made  a  brilliant  array  in  the  bright 
sunshine.  Through  this  door  was  yet  another  yard, 
large  and  clean,  with  a  coloured  sundial  on  the  right 
and  a  stone  lamp  stand  matching  it  on  the  left.  Here 
again  were  several  trees,  to  one  of  which  a  patient 
mule  was  tied  up.  There  was  yet  another  great  door- 
way with  overhanging  eaves,  under  which  were  hung 
many  oblong  tablets  in  blue,  black,  white  and  yellow, 


220          INTERVIEWING  A  VICEROY 

containing  in  the  centre  the  one  word  "  FUH,"  HAPPI- 
NESS, the  most  prized  of  all  Chinese  characters,  and 
on  the  sides,  names  of  the  officials  whose  good  rule 
or  favour  had  elicited  such  tablets,  and  a  general  list 
of  the  individuals  who  had  offered  the  tablets.  This 
galaxy  of  coloured  happiness  brightened  up  the  scene. 

Under  this  roof  is  the  Ta  T'ang  or  Great  Hall,  all 
carpeted  in  red  felt.  Here  the  Governor  sits  when 
holding  public  trials.  Our  chairs  stopped,  and  we 
advanced  over  the  red  felt  to  where  the  Viceroy  was 
waiting  to  receive  us,  and  lead  us  to  his  Great  Hall. 
We  followed  him  to  the  door  of  a  bright  guest  hall 
having  windows  on  either  side.  The  Governor  bowed 
me  in  first,  and  then  led  the  way  to  a  round  table 
covered  with  a  bright  red  cloth,  in  the  centre  of  which 
was  a  dish  containing  pebbles  in  water  with  the  nar- 
cissus in  bloom.  Chinese  everywhere  like  this  flower 
and  call  it  the  "  Water  Fairy."  The  Viceroy  took 
his  place  at  the  side  of  the  table  nearest  the  door, 
first  giving  me  the  seat  of  honour  with  Mr.  Pollard 
opposite.  The  Viceroy's  interpreter,  Professor  of 
English  (!)  in  the  Government  School  here,  sat  oppo- 
site to  the  great  man.  Lin  was  at  first  a  little  reserved. 
The  interpreter  led  off  with  a  few  general  questions 
which  he  had  no  doubt  committed  to  memory  before 
coming,  such  as  when  I  arrived  in  China,  where  I  was 
going,  how  long  I  would  remain  in  the  city,  and  so  on. 
A  large  number  of  smaller  officials  stood  at  the  back, 
or  looked  in  at  the  windows,  intensely  interested  in 
the  conversation.  Using  the  interpreter,  I  said  to  the 
Viceroy  that  my  journey  from  Chowtung  had  been 
made  pleasant  and  easy  by  the  officials.  The  inter- 
preter made  me  say  "  The  Protestant  Mission  at  Chow- 
tung is  prosperous,  and  doing  a  good  work."  The 
latter  was  true  as  a  matter  of  fact. 


THE  IMAGE  OF  THE  GOD  HUNG  IN  THE  TEMPLE  OF  THE  EARTH, 
Chu  Siung  Fu,  Far  Western  China. 
Ixxiii 


i?Ai>Trr    ^u  IT?OL  HAH  IN  THE  TEMPLE  OF  THE  GOD  OF 

EARTH,  Chu  Siung  Fu,  the  City  of  the  Great  Boho,  Far  Western  China. 

Ixxiv 


TESTIMONY  TO  MEDICAL  MISSIONS    221 

After  explaining  to  the  Viceroy  my  four  years' 
journey  around  the  world,  and  informing  him  that  I 
was  writing  a  book  about  China,  I  asked  a  liberal  num- 
ber of  searching  questions,  some  of  which  were  an- 
swered with  true  diplomacy.  He  said  that  he  was  in 
favour  of  sending  young  men  to  America  to  study 
mining  engineering,  in  order  that  they  might  return 
and  work  the  mines.  He  deeply  deplored  the  lack  of 
young  men  properly  trained  to  develop  the  resources 
of  the  Province  and  Empire.  As  if  remembering  the 
details  of  some  fond  dream  of  the  destiny  of  China, 
and  a  glorious  future  for  himself,  he  made  careful 
enquiry  about  the  cost  of  such  training,  length  of 
time  to  complete  the  desirable  course,  and  what  in- 
stitution in  the  United  States  I  considered  the  best. 
Subsequently  I  heard  that  the  Viceroy  is  progressing, 
and  has  already  modified  the  school  system  and  has 
appointed  teachers  in  Japanese,  French  and  English. 
This  means  very  little;  indeed,  I  suspect  it  has  refer- 
ence to  the  Capital  City  only.  The  officials  in  China 
have  the  power  to  get  the  people  to  do  almost  any- 
thing they  desire,  and  should  he  set  his  mind  on  re- 
forming the  school  system  of  the  Province,  along  mod- 
ern lines,  he  could  do  it,  as  he  rules  absolutely  five 
million  people.  It  is  the  apathy  of  officials  that  blocks 
reform,  and  any  innovation  that  tends  to  weaken 
their  prestige  is  odious  and  hateful.  I  pressed  upon 
him  the  great  importance  of  teaching  English,  and 
made  some  enquiry  about  missionaries.  "At  present 
there  is  harmony  between  people  and  converts,"  he 
said,  with  a  tardy  and  incomplete  smile ;  "  but  in  out- 
lying portions  of  the  Province  there  are  persons  who 
do  not  understand  the  missionary  position."  Just 
then  he  seemed  to  have  a  distinct  desire  for  solitude, 
but  brightened  up  when  I  asked  him  about  Medical 


222  CHINA  FOR  THE  CHINESE 

Missions,  and  said  that  this  work  carried  its  own 
evidence  of  good  will  and  advantage  with  it;  not  so 
preaching.  He  declared  with  scarcely  concealed  in- 
difference that  Englishmen  are  the  best  missionaries 
in  the  Province,  maybe  because  they  give  him  the 
least  trouble,  and  incidentally  complicate  matters 
for  the  aggressive  Frenchmen,  who  watch  Yunnan 
like  a  hawk.  I  told  him,  as  an  American,  I  believed 
in  China  for  the  Chinese,  and  hoped  that  China  would 
largely  develop  her  own  resources.  I  advised  that 
foreigners  should  be  used  as  expert  teachers,  and  that 
the  great  aim  should  be  for  China  to  maintain  her 
autonomy.  These  words  fully  roused  him  to  throw 
off  all  stiffness  and  restraint.  He  became  delighted 
and,  nodding  his  head  again  and  again,  was  not  con- 
tent with  saying  Hao,  Hao  (Good,  Good),  but  traced 
with  his  fingers  on  the  table-cloth  the  character  for 
"  Good."  "  China  for  the  Chinese,"  this  motto  evi- 
dently struck  a  soft  spot  in  his  heart.  I  advised  him 
to  send  one  of  his  sons  to  America  to  be  educated, 
and  enquired  how  many  he  had.  He  lifted  up  one 
finger,  looked  sad,  and  said,  "  and  he  is  young,"  The 
Viceroy  asked  me  what  I  thought  were  the  greatest 
needs  of  China  at  the  present  time.  I  replied.  "  Plenty 
of  schools  with  sound  moral  training  and  earnest 
search  after  the  true  religion."  He  seemed  deeply 
thoughtful,  and  asked  what  I  meant  by  the  "  true  re- 
ligion." In  the  discussion  which  followed,  the  time 
quickly  passed,  as  did  the  oranges,  biscuits  and  sweets. 
Twice  a  hideous  shrieking  of  peacocks  gave  variety  to 
the  situation.  After  he  had  promised  me  to  telegraph 
orders  that  I  should  be  granted  all  possible  assistance 
by  the  officials  as  far  as  the  frontier,  I  lifted  my  cup  of 
tea  and  drank.  This  act  terminated  the  interview. 
The  Governor  then  escorted  us  to  our  chairs  and  very 


THE  YAMEN  DURING  REBELLION     223 

politely  expressed  his  obligations,  etc.,  for  the  visit. 
He  offered  to  return  the  call,  but  I  begged  him  not  to 
do  this,  as  I  would  be  very  busy  making  preparations 
for  continuing  my  journey  to  Tali  Fu.  As  we  departed 
through  the  gates,  we  faced  the  great  T'an,  and  passed 
between  two  grotesque  lions  by  the  door.  Huge 
rows  of  teeth  they  showed,  and  their  faces  were  super- 
ciliously turned  up  to  the  sky  as  if  they  disdained  to 
notice  the  foreigners.  The  monkey  was  still  holding 
the  seal,  the  T'an  was  still  on  the  back  of  the  sun. 
(Look  out  when  he  gets  there.  What  a  warm  break- 
fast he  will  get  the  day  he  tackles  that  hot  bun!)  The 
flags  were  still  flying,  the  sellers  of  ancient  bric-a-brac 
were  still  busy.  All  was  peaceful.  A  few  boards 
which  are  carried  before  the  Governor  when  he  goes 
out  rested  quietly  at  the  sides,  bearing  such  mottoes 
as  "  Be  Quiet  !  "'  "  Hide  Away  !  Retire  !  "  And  we 
quietly  retired.  I  felt  as  I  left  it  all,  "  Vain  pomp  and 
glory  of  this  world,  I  hate  ye." 

Not  always  has  such  peace  reigned  in  this  Yamen. 
During  the  Mohammedan  Rebellion  in  the  time  of 
Ts'en  Kung  Pao,  who  became  Viceroy  of  Yunnan,  and 
who  was  the  father  of  Viceroy  Ts'en,  one  of  the  few 
great  men  in  China  to-day,  the  place  flowed  with  blood. 
Unrest  prevailed  everywhere,  and  executions  took 
place  in  this  Yamen  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night. 
People  say  that  the  flow  of  human  blood  never  stopped. 
Who  can  say  that  such  dreadful  scenes  will  not  be 
re-enacted?  Lin-Shao-Nien  may  merit  the  reputation 
which  he  has  of  being  upright  and  philanthropic,  but 
he  did  not  impress  me  as  a  strong  man.  He  was  a 
great  contrast  to  the  powerful  Tuan  Fang,  who  cour- 
teously entertained  me  at  Wuchang,  and  who  rules 
fifty  million  people. 


The  Emperor  has  errors  just  as  well  as  others. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

TELEGRAPHS  IN  YUNNAN  -  CHINESE  DEMONSTRA- 
TION OF  GRIEF  -  THE  SWITZERLAND  OF  CHINA 
-  A  GRUESOME.  WARNING  TO  EVIL  -  DOERS  - 
HORRIBLE  FATE  OF  PARRICIDES  -  OLD  PAN^S 
INN  -  THE  MYSTERIOUS  BOHO  REVEALED  -  A 
WELL  OF  WONDER. 

'HE  men  who  came  with  me 
from  Tungchuan  were  paid  off 
at  Yunnan  City,  and  a  com- 
plete new  set  employed.  The 
fresh  men  were  an  indifferent 
looking  assortment.  Some  bore 
the  visible  effects  of  the  en- 
Portabie  Kitchen.  thralling  power  of  the  opium 

habit;  others  were  strong,  powerful  fellows,  but 
none  had  a  distinctly  villainous  aspect.  Leaving 
Yunnan  City,  we  followed  the  single  line  of  heavy 
wire.  It  is  possible  for  an  entire  stranger,  even 
if  he  does  not  speak  Chinese,  to  go  from  the  capital 
of  Yunnan  Province  clear  over  the  British  line  into 
Bhamo  without  losing  his  way,  if  he  follows  the  tele- 
graph line.  This  line  made  considerable  bother  for 
the  officials  when  first  erected.  Not  infrequently  were 
the  heavy  wires  cut  and  used  for  the  convenience 
of  the  neighbourhood.  An  attempt  finally  was  made 
to  destroy  it,  the  superstitious  people  saying  that 


TELEGRAPHS  IN  YUNNAN  225 

the  spirits  flying  in  the  air  would  be  inconvenienced 
or  even  cut  their  throats  on  the  wires.  A  few  vigorous 
magistrates  promptly  finished  up  the  throat-cutting 
business  by  cutting  off  the  heads  of  the  objectors. 
When  the  telegraph  line  from  Meng  Tz  to  Yunnan 
City  was  built,  evil  reports  were  spread  that  foreigners 
were  cutting  off  the  breasts  of  women,  the  queues  of 
men  and  the  wings  of  fowls,  and  were  trying  to  torture 
certain  Chinese  to  death.  A  friendly  Chinaman  told 
Missionary  Stevenson,  and  he  laughed.  Later  on  when 
the  rumours  were  thickest,  Old  Plow,  an  enquirer, 
came  to  the  missionary  and,  weeping  bitterly,  said 
that  his  son's  pigtail  had  been  removed,  and  he  was 
sure  the  lad  would  die.  The  missionary  assured  him 
that  it  would  make  no  difference,  as  his  own  hair 
had  been  cut  before  coming  to  China,  and  that  hair- 
cutting  was  common  in  European  countries.  The 
Celestial  dubiously  replied,  "  You  are  an  Englishman, 
and  my  son  is  a  Chinaman,  and  that  makes  the  differ- 
ence." Next  morning  he  came  in  and  said  with  a 
laugh,  "  My  son  is  dead."  It  was  a  peculiar  coinci- 
dence. The  Chinaman's  way  of  showing  sorrow  is  ex- 
pressive. He  puts  his  heels  in  the  stirrups,  wears  his 
shirt  outside  his  trousers,  mourns  in  white,  and  ex- 
presses grief  with  a  laugh.  Two  days  after  this  boy 
died  the  Viceroy  issued  a  proclamation  exonerating 
the  foreigners,  and  offered  a  reward  for  the  apprehen- 
sion of  the  tail  cutters.  A  Taoist  priest  was  arrested, 
condemned  and  beheaded.  Old  Plow  was  the  first 
Yunnanese  to  join  the  Protestant  Church,  and  he  is 
still  faithful.  One  day  in  the  street,  a  young  man  asked 
his  name,  and  where  he  lived,  according  to  Chinese 
custom,  and  receiving  polite  answers,  he  finally  asked  if 
he  had  joined  the  Church.  Plow  replied  that  he  had, 
whereupon  the  young  fellow,  with  a  savage  look,  struck 
P 


226       THE  SWITZERLAND  OF  CHINA 

the  old  man  a  severe  blow  on  the  face,  saying,  "  Don't 
you  know  that  we  Yunnanese  have  nothing  to  do  with 
these  Christians  ?  "  The  stricken  man  turned  the  other 
side  of  his  face,  but  the  young  fellow  dropped  his 
head  and  slunk  away,  and  Old  Plow  said  to  a  foreign 
friend  standing  by,  "  I  am  able  to  act  differently 
since  my  conversion." 

Yunnan  Province  has  had  a  chequered  career  ever 
since  it  became  a  part  of  the  great  Empire  of  China. 
In  the  thirteenth  century  the  great  northern  warrior 
Kublai  Khan  annexed  "  The  Switzerland  of  China  " 
to  the  Manchu  Empire.  "  How  great  his  exploits  must 
have  been  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  all  the  tribes  of 
the  Siberian  Ice-fields,  the  deserts  of  Asia,  together 
with  the  country  between  China  and  the  Caspian  Sea 
acknowledged  his  potent  sway."  The  traveller,  in 
crossing  this  lofty  Province  to  its  utmost  Western 
Boundary,  will  seldom  find  his  path  less  than  five 
thousand  feet  above  the  tide,  and  off  toward  the  Roof 
of  the  World,  uncertain  Thibet,  covered  with  perpetual 
snow,  are  seen  many  peaks  over  ten  thousand  feet  in 
height.  Yunnan  City,  the  capital,  is  situated  near  a 
beautiful  lake  on  a  plain  a  thousand  li  in  length.  This 
great  plateau  is  six  thousand  feet  above  the  sea  level, 
and  from  October  till  the  end  of  April  a  cloud  is  seldom 
seen,  and  the  sun  shines  in  glorious  splendour.  I  was 
once  fishing,  on  a  summer's  day,  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee. 
The  old  skipper  who  set  the  lines  for  me  said  that 
storms  unexpectedly  break  upon  this  most  beautiful 
sheet  of  water  just  as  they  did  in  the  time  of  our  Lord. 
In  a  somewhat  similar  fashion  the  beautiful  lake  of  the 
capital,  although  but  forty  miles  in  length,  is  visited 
by  sudden  cyclones.  But  storms  occur  only  in  the 
daytime.  Towards  evening  the  boatmen  weigh  anchor 
and  their  craft  carrying  cargoes  of  grain  sail  safely 


u 


Ixxv 


Ixxvi 


A  WARNING  TO  EVIL  DOERS         227 

up  to  the  canal  which  connects  this  lake  with  the  city 
thirty  li  away. 

My  good  friend,  Mr.  Pollard,  who  had  travelled 
with  me  for  several  days  (and  a  kinder  and  more  help- 
ful companion  I  never  had),  walked  out  of  the  city 
with  Mr.  Rhodes  to  say  "  fare  thee  well."  I  was 
sorry  when  we  parted.  "  A  fellow-feeling  makes  us 
wondrous  kind."  When  well  out  from  the  city,  the 
view  back  from  the  first  hill  can  never  be  forgotten. 
In  the  distance  lies  the  city,  with  a  smokestack;  the 
odd  craft  on  the  lake  and  their  weird  reflections,  the 
well-built  stone  road  reaching  for  many  li  out  of  the 
city,  crooked,  of  course,  to  make  the  bridges  at  right 
angles  to  the  streams,  but  chiefly  to  fool  the  spirits 
and  dump  them  in  the  rice  patches ;  far  away  the  distant 
mountains;  above,  the  fleecy  clouds,  and  below,  the 
cursed  poppy  growing  luxuriantly!  Later  in  the  day 
I  met  soldiers  carrying  Winchester  repeating  rifles.  I 
also  met  a  thunderstorm  in  a  good  state  of  preserva- 
tion. It  had  been  hung  up  in  the  northern  sky,  and 
from  there  swept  over  us  with  rain  and  lightning  in 
goodly  proportion. 

It  was  not  until  I  had  travelled  more  than  two- 
thirds  of  the  way  across  this  great  country  that  I  saw 
a  detached  human  head  in  a  slat  box  on  a  pole  twelve 
feet  high,  a  ghastly  warning  to  evil-doers;  and,  curi- 
ously enough,  in  the  market  village  of  Aiming  I 
stopped  with  the  inn-keeper  whose  son,  a  lad  of  sixteen 
years,  was  murdered,  without  known  cause,  at  the  place 
where  the  head  was  placed.  The  head  belonged  to  the 
murderer  of  the  boy.  The  face  was  towards  the  east, 
the  eyes  were  closed,  and  two  fine  white  upper  teeth 
were  showing.  There  is  something  to  be  said  in  favour 
of  executing  a  man  on  the  spot  where  he  perpetrated 
the  crime.  Especially  is  this  to  be  recommended  for 


228  BARBAROUS  CUSTOMS 

Chinamen,  who  have  the  phrenological  bump  of  local- 
ity as  well  developed  as  any  people  on  this  planet. 
In  England  the  public  hangings  have  been  discon- 
tinued by  Act  of  Parliament  because  it  brutalized  the 
populace.  At  Ganking  there  is  a  loathsome  custom. 
At  the  execution,  people  fetch  pieces  of  bread,  dip 
them  in  the  criminal's  blood  and  eat  them,  believing 
that  the  blood  will  tone  up  their  courage  or  relieve 
certain  diseases.  The  punishment  which  is  inflicted 
on  murderers  of  parents,  elder  brothers,  or  husbands 
is  horrible.  To  this  torture  the  Chinese  give  the  cheer- 
ful name  of  "  Ling  Chi,"  or  lingering  death  by  hacking 
to  pieces.  Outside  the  city  the  doomed  man  is  bound 
to  a  post,  with  a  piece  of  wood  tightly  fixed  across  the 
mouth  to  prevent  his  shrieking.  A  vast  crowd 
gather,  not  dissimilar  in  appetite  for  human  blood  to 
the  multitude  who  filled  tier  upon  tier,  aisles  and  lictors' 
places  in  the  Colosseum  at  Rome.  The  executioner, 
having  whetted  his  knife,  proceeds  to  the  frightful  tor- 
ture. He  makes  a  slit  in  the  skin  over  the  eyebrow, 
and  drawing  it  down  pins  it  to  the  cheek.  A  gash 
is  made  opposite  the  nostrils,  and,  fresh  with  human 
blood,  it  lies  open  to  the  wind.  The  operator  becomes 
enthusiastic,  and  after  making  these  horrible  incisions 
and  gashes  and  forming  flaps  over  the  human  body, 
suddenly  draws  back  his  hand  and  ends  the  dreadful 
agonies  of  the  victim  by  driving  his  knife  into  his 
heart.  In  such  an  instance  if  the  criminal  had  money 
— not  sufficient  to  purchase  his  discharge,  but  enough 
to  modify  his  punishment,  the  executioner  would  then 
do  his  work;  but  do  it  very  quickly,  and  the  victim 
would  be  stupefied  by  a  powerful  drug ;  but  the  effect  on 
the  multitude  would  be  none  the  less  brutalizing. 

From  the  capital  to  Ts'u-Hsiang,  a  distance  of  four 
hundred  and  eighty  li,  the  road  passed  over  mountains, 


OLD  PAN  229 

along  beautiful  valleys,  and  across  fertile  plains.  There 
seemed  to  be  a  revival  of  prosperity.  Seldom  did  I 
see  a  large  village  without  one  or  more  houses  in 
course  of  erection.  The  whole  region  was  swept  by 
the  scourge  of  war  during  the  Panthay  Rebellion.  For 
hours  at  a  time,  however,  it  was  a  mournful  and  deso- 
late district  through  which  we  travelled.  The  bleak 
barren  mountains  and  the  absence  of  people  made 
the  way  cheerless  indeed. 

Four  days  out,  early  in  the  afternoon,  having  passed 
through  the  only  Fu  between  the  capital  and  Tali,  we 
entered  Pan's  monster  inn,  located  in  the  western  sub- 
urb. Pan  has  given  his  establishment  a  progressive 
name — "  Everlastingly  Increasing  Inn  " — and  as  it 
is  the  largest  in  the  city,  and  the  biggest  between  the 
capital  and  the  Burman  line,  it  may  have  been  in- 
creasing for  aught  I  know.  Pan  said  it  held  three 
hundred  people — he  did  not  say  how  many  it  could 
accommodate — and  eighty  animals.  He  had  one  son, 
so  all  the  excellent  qualities  of  old  Pan  were  concen- 
trated in  Panny.  Old  Pan  (honourable  title)  was 
born  on  the  First  Sun  of  the  Correct  Moon  of  the 
Thirtieth  year  of  Taokwang.  He  had  three  mous- 
taches— one  over  his  mouth,  and  one  over  each  eye, 
and  talked  through  his  nose;  why  I  know  not,  be- 
cause his  mouth  was  sufficiently  capacious  for  all 
purposes.  He  had  the  slick  Chinese  expression  which 
signifies  "  I  love  you  much,  but  your  money  more." 
In  the  year  of  the  Dragon  Old  Pan  struck  this  planet, 
and  he  wore  an  ancestral  smile  when  he  told  me  his 
son  "  belonged  "  in  the  Pig  year.  "  How  many  taels 
are  you  worth  ?  "  "  None,  none,"  he  shouted  with 
a  vision  of  magistrates,  tax-collectors,  poverty,  and 
an  ancestor  twenty  years  ahead  of  his  time  coming 
before  him.  "  What  is  the  best  thing  you  ever  did  ?  " 


23o  BOHO 

"  Buy  things  and  sell  them,"  was  Pan's  prompt  reply. 
He  could  see  through  a  cash,  but  he  did  not  see  through 
all  these  questions.  A  foolish  missionary  once  asked 
a  native  Christian,  "  Where  was  Moses  when  the  light 
went  out  ?  "  The  earnest  fellow  stayed  up  all  night 
and  searched  the  Scriptures.  The  answer  pained  the 
Chinaman,  but  the  missionary  was  cured  of  his  folly. 
Pan  said  we  were  the  most  distinguished  visitors  he 
had  had  in  the  history  of  the  Everlastingly  Increasing 
Inn.  I  was  inclined  to  like  Pan !  Travellers  are 
scarce  in  the  fifth,  sixth  and  seventh  Moons,  but 
ordinarily  there  are  one  thousand  guests  per  moon. 
Old  Pan  had  very  long  finger  nails. 

This  place  is  the  headquarters  of  Boho,  so  I  made 
lengthy  enquiries  about  it.  Boho  is  a  wonderful 
article  made  from  the  essence  of  a  little  vegetable. 
It  possesses  a  wide  reputation  as  a  cure  for  stomach- 
ache. This  long-sought-after  and  eagerly-expected 
Boho  is  made  by  fourteen  respectable  families  who 
may  have  an  hereditary  right  to  accumulate  wealth 
from  Boho.  Here  it  is  purchasable  at  the  astonish- 
ing low  rate  of  five  taels  for  one  hundred  pounds, 
weighed  by  the  purchaser,  and  in  Yunnan  City  it 
sells  with  a  druggist's  profit  at  ten  taels,  weighed  by 
the  seller.  A  few  drops  of  this  wonderful  Boho  in 
water  distilled  or  undistilled  is  a  "  King  pin  potion  " 
for  colic.  A  large  stomach  requires  a  few  additional 
drops.  Five  cash  worth  will  cure  an  ordinary 
stomach-ache;  seven  cash  a  medium-sized  stomach; 
and  ten  cash  the  largest  stomach  in  the  Province  of 
Yunnan.  One  thousand  pounds  of  the  dried  leaves 
go  out  of  the  city  each  year.  How  much  is  consumed 
locally  I  failed  to  learn.  This  will  be  an  important 
item  for  some  future  traveller  to  discover.  The  world 
should  know  how  much  Boho  is  consumed  within 


A  MYSTERY  REVEALED  231 

the  walls  of  this  city.  It  is  fortunate  that  this  dis- 
covery remains  open  for  some  future  explorer,  be- 
cause there  are  no  missionaries  here  for  eccentric, 
sensation-loving,  sponging  globe-trotters  to  pitch 
into.  I  mean  those  gentlemen  who  spread 

"falsehood  under  saintly  show, 
Deep  malice  to  conceal  couched  with  revenge." 

I  wish  to  commiserate  such  gentlemen  on  the  lack  of 
their  favourite  subject  to  lie  about,  and  the  absence 
of  opportunity  to  fill  up  their  stomachs  free  of  charge; 
and  congratulate  them  because  here  is  the  mystical 
Boho,  which  would  be  good  for  their  stomachs  (I 
should  recommend  a  ten  cash  dose),  and  the  investi- 
gation might  stimulate  the  grey  matter  under  their 
scalps  so  that  they  may  be  able  to  discover  at  least  one 
decent,  respectable,  honest,  sober,  kind-hearted,  con- 
scientious missionary  in  China. 

I  asked  the  inn-keeper,  Pan,  how  many  stomach- 
aches he  reckoned  the  exported  one  thousand  pounds 
of  boho  would  cure.  He  said  that  depended  on  the 
size  of  the  ache,  and  I  submit  that  it  also  depended 
on  the  size  of  the  stomach.  Later  old  Pan  estimated 
that  one  pound  of  boho  will  cure  fifty  men  if  their 
aches  are  not  too  large.  One  pound  costs  but  eighty 
cash.  The  residents  claim  that  as  the  best  boho  on 
earth  grows  here,  people  from  all  parts  come  to  this 
city  to  get  it.  This  was  enchanting.  I  could  almost  see 
an  American  patent  medicine  man's  mouth  water  for 
boho.  Then  a  vision  of  advertisements.  Get  boho.  Take 
boho.  Boho  cures.  Boho  aroused  my  curiosity,  and  I 
employed  a  nimble  young  pig-tail  to  go  and  pluck  some 
leaf  for  me.  He  returned  later  in  the  day  with  boho. 
And  behold !  it  was  peppermint !  The  same  kind  I 
gathered  when  a  boy,  beside  clear  springs  and  beautiful 
streams  in  far-away  Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania ! 


232  A  FISHY  STORY 

Seldom  on  the  roadside  in  Yunnan  have  I  seen  an 
idol.  These  had  been  smashed  up  by  the  Moslems. 
Great  was  the  wrath  of  the  green  flag  Mohammedan 
generals  when  they  saw  a  graven  image,  and  equally 
vigorous  the  motive  and  movement  for  the  spoils,  as 
each  large  idol  was  said  to  contain  treasures  or  valuable 
metals  and  precious  stones.  Would  it  not  have  been 
better  for  Chinese  and  Christendom  if  England  had 
not  interfered  in  the  Taiping  rebellion? 

In  Ts'u-Hsiangfu  I  had  interviews  with  two  individ- 
uals belonging  to  very  different  classes  of  society.  One 
was  the  scholar,  Mr.  "Reverently  Protecting."  He  said 
there  were  sixteen  temples  in  the  city,  great  and  small. 

The  other  was  with  Old  Cup,  sixty  years  of  age. 
We  met  him  in  the  temple,  a  fat,  smiling  comfortable 
local  deity.  Cup  keeps  a  tray  at  the  Great  East  Gate 
where  we  entered.  He  vends  small  confections,  and 
if  he  sells  three  hundred  cash  worth  a  day,  it  is  a  big 
sale.  Sometimes  the  people  purchase  only  eight  cash 
worth.  If  he  takes  in  a  hundred  cash  he  makes 
thirty  cash  nett  profit,  that  is,  if  he  sells  goods  to  the 
value  of  five  gold  cents  he  makes  two  cents  profit. 
On  these  profits  he  provides  for  himself  and  family. 
It  is  folly  to  expect  the  densely  populated  portions  of 
China  to  adopt  our  wickedly  expensive  civilization. 
Let  the  Chinese  dwell  peaceably  with  their  simple 
habits;  but  counsel  them  in  matters  of  morals  and 
religion.  Cup  talks  so  loud  that  he  seems  to  be  trying 
by  the  sound  process  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  deaf 
people  on  Mars.  Otherwise,  being  well  dressed,  he  is 
genteel  for  the  position  he  occupies.  For  residence  he 
rents  a  part  of  the  temple  buildings.  He  told  me  that 
on  the  west  mountain,  one  li  outside  the  city,  to  the 
east  side  of  the  Temple  T'ao  U,  is  a  well  which  has  a 
history.  At  the  time  of  the  rebellion,  some  thirty  years 


Ixxvii 


Ixxviii 


COFFINS  AS  GIFTS  233 

ago,  the  frightened  people  hid  their  silver  and  other 
valuables  in  this  well.  When  the  troubles  were  over 
and  the  remaining  owners  came  to  get  their  property, 
suddenly  a  black  cloud  arose  accompanied  by  thunder 
and  lightning  and  a  terrific  wind.  This  was  sure  proof 
to  the  superstitious  people  that  the  gods  were  opposed 
to  their  receiving  the  valuables  back,  so  they  have  left 
them  there  to  this  day.  The  story  is  rather  "  fishy." 

Ts'u-Hsiangfu  to  Talifu,  a  distance  of  five  hundred 
and  twenty-five  li,  was  done  in  four  days.  The  first  day 
we  passed  a  very  long  train  of  donkeys  loaded  with 
coffin  boards  made  of  the  very  heavy  ironwood.  When 
Mr.  McCarthy  was  making  his  first  great  journey 
from  Shanghai  to  Bhamo  in  eighteen  hundred  and 
seventy-seven,  he  met  General  Yang,  who  had  put 
down  the  Mohammedan  rebellion.  The  famous 
general  was  followed  by  hundreds  of  men  carrying 
coffin  boards,  which  he  intended  to  present  to 
his  various  friends.  Yang  was  so  full  of  the  coffins 
that,  after  the  annihilation  of  the  moslems,  he  boomed 
up  the  undertaking  business  more  than  any  man 
in  the  Province.  Having  begun,  he  could  not  stop 
short,  but  put  a  few  by  for  his  friends.  It  is  fre- 
quently the  case  when  renting  a  house  in  China,  that 
the  landlord  desires  to  insert  in  the  agreement  that 
a  room  must  be  reserved  for  the  coffins  of  himself 
and  wife.  A  missionary  sometimes  has  to  sleep  on 
a  coffin  containing  a  body  which  has  occupied  those 
quarters  for  many  years.  The  coffin  boards  are  four 
inches  thick,  cemented  and  hermetically  sealed,  so  it 
is  not  a  very  serious  affair.  The  greatest  compliment 
a  son  can  pay  his  parents  is  to  present  each  of  them 
with  a  coffin  before  they  grow  old  and  die. 

Before  we  reach  Talifu  I  shot  an  edible  crane, 
weighing  fifteen  pounds. 


Heaven  begat  five  sons,  and  the  five  seas  trouble  China.— Vulgar 
Prophesy. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

TALIFU STORY     OF     THE     DEMON      NO      KAI A 

MOHAMMEDAN   RISING A   CHINESE  SANATORIUM 

A  CHINESE  SHOEMAKER  AT  WORK. 

IKE  Yunnan  City,  Talifu  lies  in 
a  basin  on  the  shores  of  a 
beautiful  lake.  The  journey 
between  these  two  cities  is 
ordinarily  thirteen  days,  but 
my  caravan  did  the  distance 
in  eight  days;  that  is,  on  the 

Carrying  offbwntten  paper  ninth    day    Qut    frQm    the    prQ_ 

vincial  Capital  I  entered  that 

fair  city  whose  Chinese  name  signifies  "  Great  Rea- 
son." On  Sundays  we  stopped  to  rest  and  take  precau- 
tions against  becoming  heathen.  Talifu  is  the  best 
fortified  city  in  Western  China.  If  defended  by  a  well- 
disciplined  and  equipped  army,  it  would  be  impreg- 
nable; indeed,  it  proved  to  be  so  when  once  a  horde 
of  rebels  with  clubs,  bows,  and  spears  attacked  it. 
The  military  strength  of  Talifu  lies  in  the  two  out- 
flanking fortifications  on  the  north  and  south  of  the 
city.  The  plain  upon  which  the  city  is  built  narrows 
at  both  ends  into  two  passes,  and  the  town  is  situated 
on  the  western  margin  of  the  majestic  lake,  and  behind 


TALIFU  235 

the  walls  the  dull,  heavy  slopes  of  the  Ties  Tsang 
mountains  rise  into  colossal  cliffs,  snow-covered  and 
serrated  on  the  sky  line.  The  utmost  summits  are 
full  fourteen  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  and 
stand  out  bold  and  cold  seven  thousand  feet  above 
the  plajin.  The  Moslem  forces  failed  to  carry  the 
passes  at  the  ends  of  the  plain,  but  finally  succeeded 
in  capturing  the  city  by  descending  and  forcing  their 
way  across  fields  of  snow  supposed  to  be  impassable 
in  the  western  mountains  back  of  the  city.  For  this 
feat  the  Mohammedan  insurgents  deserved  the  success 
they  achieved. 

Night  had  fallen  on  the  city  when  we  approached  the 
south  entrance.  The  huge  double  gate  was  locked, 
but  one  of  our  guard  soon  had  the  hinges  squeak- 
ing, and  by  the  time  all  our  lanterns  were  lighted 
we  had  free  access.  The  streets,  busy  in  the  daytime, 
were  forsaken,  and  save  for  dogs  and  occasional  per- 
sons who  came  out  of  their  houses  with  monster  lan- 
terns and  held  them  high  to  view  the  caravan,  we 
passed  unnoticed  down  South  Gate  Street  under  the 
Great  Drum  Tower  and  swung  into  East  Gate  Street; 
our  coolies  and  chairmen,  feeling  glad  that  the  end  of 
the  journey  was  near,  stepped  up  quickly  and  sharp, 
and  turning  into  Kill  Sheep  Street,  stopped  at  the 
China  Inland  Mission  premises.  These  native  build- 
ings are  unsuitable  for  extensive  work,  so  larger  and 
more  pretentious  houses  are  being  prepared.  The  new 
property  of  the  mission  will  cost  but  eleven  hundred 
taels,  a  ridiculously  small  sum  for  such  a  fine  batch 
of  buildings.  One  fact  I  have  carefully  noted.  All 
over  China  the  missionaries  use  the  contributions  of 
the  Church  people  at  home  with  the  most  scrupulous 
care  and  economy.  I  was  cordially  greeted  in 
Talifu  by  Mr.  McLean,  a  Canadian,  and  I  accepted 


236  A  LEGEND  OF  THE  LAKE 

his  kind  invitation  to  remain  with  him  during  my 
stay.  This  was  the  last  mission  I  was  to  see  on  China 
soil,  for  I  had  arrived  near  the  British  line. 

There  is  a  legend  as  to  the  making  of  the  plain. 
The  people  of  Talifu  say  that  in  very  ancient  times 
the  waters  of  the  "  Sea,"  as  they  call  the  lake,  cov- 
ered the  plain.  The  lake  and  surrounding  region  were 
then  ruled  by  a  monster  demon  called  No  Kai,  who 
lived  by  eating  human  eyes.  He  is  described  as  having 
eyes  starting  out  of  his  head,  with  mouth  like  a  hen's 
bill,  covered  with  red  hair — a  creature  who  went  naked 
and  managed  to  move  about  with  wings.  Sixty  pairs 
of  human  eyes  constituted  his  daily  fare,  the  supply 
of  which  was  no  little  burden  to  the  people  around  the 
lake.  After  a  time  their  distress  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  the  goddess  of  Mercy,  who  determined  to  hin- 
der the  work  of  the  old  rascal  and  deliver  the  people 
from  the  power  of  their  oppressor,  so  she  appeared 
as  an  old  person  before  the  monster  and  asked  him  to 
sell  her  as  much  land  as  her  yellow  dog  could  leap 
over  in  three  bounds,  and  of  the  width  from  east  to 
west  of  her  holy  garments,  in  exchange  for  a  daily 
supply  of  food.  The  wily  goddess  substituted  sixty 
pairs  of  shellfish  for  human  eyes,  and  the  monster  did 
not  discover  the  difference.  To  the  surprise  of  the 
demon,  the  dog  leaped  from  the  upper  to  the  lower 
customs  barrier,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  ten  li. 
Stranger  still,  the  garment  stretched  and  stretched  and 
stretched  until  it  covered  the  whole  space  between  the 
lake  and  the  mountains.  When  the  demon  saw  all  this 
he  was  wroth,  and  could  hardly  contain  his  anger.  He 
declared  he  would  not  keep  his  word,  but  the  goddess, 
calling  him  to  look  at  two  great  stones,  threatened 
to  bring  the  two  together  and  imprison  him  between 
them  if  he  failed  to  keep  his  promise.  But  if  he  kept 


A  DEMON  OUTWITTED  237 

his  word,  she  would  build  him  a  great  emperor's 
palace!  It  would  appear  that  the  goddess  of  Mercy 
considered  No  Kai  a  dangerous  individual  to  have  at 
large.  He  agreed  to  this  proposition,  and  the  goddess, 
having  created  what  appeared  to  be  a  grand  palace, 
invited  him  to  a  sumptuous  feast  with  his  two  brothers, 
and  they  all  sat  down  together.  As  they  were  eating, 
the  goddess  changed  into  a  bee  and  flew  away.  The 
palace  in  reality  consisted  of  the  two  large  stones, 
which  gradually  moved  together  and  enclosed  the  three 
brothers  who  had  been  drinking  a  delightful  concoc- 
tion prepared  to  stupefy  and  bewitch  them,  so  that  they 
did  not  notice  the  contracting  of  their  banqueting  hall 
until  too  late  to  escape. 

The  demon  cried  out  from  the  inside :  "  I  gave  you 
the  ground  you  wanted  and  you  have  lied  to  me." 
The  goddess  smiled  and  prophetically  answered  him, 
"  When  there  are  no  people  on  this  land  on  the  eighth 
day  of  the  third  month,  you  may  come  out  of  this 
prison."  Ever  since  that  day  the  people  are  careful  to 
keep  up  a  great  market  outside  the  West  Gate  on  the 
Eighth  Sun  of  each  Third  Moon.  The  stones  in  which 
the  demon  is  supposed  to  be  enclosed  are  forty  li  north 
of  the  city,  and  are  to-day  a  monument  and  evidence 
of  the  truthfulness  of  the  story. 

The  monster  afterwards  determined  to  exercise  him- 
self by  making  a  road  across  the  lake  by  breathing 
hard  into  the  water  through  the  small  opening  left 
between  the  stones.  He  seemed  to  be  in  a  fair  way 
to  succeed,  when  the  goddess  saw  bad  intentions  in 
this  performance,  and  concluded  to  stop  it.  It  appears 
that  certain  monsters  in  China,  like  this  particular 
one,  can  only  work  at  night,  and  that  the  first  streak 
of  dawn  puts  an  end  to  their  labours.  The  goddess, 
hearing  No  Kai  breathing  hard  into  the  waters  at 


238  MARBLE  SCULPTURE 

night,  stood  outside  the  prison,  crowing  like  a  cock 
and  making  a  noise  like  the  flapping  of  a  cock's  wings. 
The  monster,  hearing  this,  thought  it  was  morning  and 
gave  up  the  work. 

When  the  people  assemble  on  market  days  guns  are 
fired  to  let  the  monster  know  that  he  cannot  go  free ! 

The  city  of  Talifu  is  not  at  all  remarkable  for  its 
size,  having  only  about  three  thousand  families,  but 
is  famous  for  its  marble  and  its  skilled  engravers  in 
stone.  The  marble  shops  are  located  near  the  three 
pagodas,  and  the  material  is  brought  from  the  moun- 
tains and  worked  into  monuments  and  ornamental 
slabs.  On  the  way  here  we  passed  many  donkey-loads 
of  this  beautiful  white  stone.  The  works  employ  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  workmen. 

Here  a  hospital  is  soon  to  be  opened.  The  only  mis- 
sions represented  are  the  China  Inland  and  the  Roman 
Catholic.  A  kind  priest  who  has  worked  for  over  fifty 
years  for  the  conversion  of  the  people  of  this  Province 
has  reaped  but  scant  harvest;  and  only  a  few  have 
joined  the  Protestant  Church. 

The  Mohammedan  who  carried  my  camera  had  an 
honest  face  and  an  interesting  story.  He  was  fifty- 
four  years  of  age,  and  had  lived  in  the  city  fifty  years. 
His  name  was  "  Sweet-Smelling-Garden-Wood,"  and 
he  came  originally  from  Yung  Chang  An.  He  gave 
the  following  account  of  the  great  Mohammedan  up- 
rising in  Yunnan : — Wicked  people  were  plentiful,  and 
there  was  continual  fighting  between  those  who  wor- 
shipped idols  and  those  who  did  not  (Mohammedans). 
The  secret  society,  "Old  Brothers'  Club,"  created 
much  trouble  and  disorder.  These  men-  were  finally 
the  cause  of  the  rebellion.  Doubtless  the  troubles  orig- 
inated in  a  row  between  the  pork  and  beef  butchers, 
the  former  being  idolaters  and  the  latter  Moslems. 


Ixxix 


^BB 

I 

I 


Ixxx 


AN  INSURRECTION  QUELLED        239 

The  name  of  the  Moslem  leader  was  "  The  Good- 
looking  Literary  Sprout."  This  haughty  chief  kept 
possession  of  the  city  for  eighteen  years.  Very  few 
Chinese  stayed  in  the  city  at  first,  but  when  the  Mo- 
hammedan government  was  established  many  returned 
to  trade,  and  were  all  well  treated  by  the  Moslems; 
they  were  compelled  to  forego  shaving,  letting  the 
hair  on  their  heads  grow.  The  Imperial  troops  were 
a  whole  year  getting  into  the  city,  and  then  it  was 
only  by  the  treachery  of  one  of  the  Moslem  officers 
who  opened  the  gates.  The  Imperial  General  Yang 
demanded  that  the  Mohammedan  king  should  give 
himself  up.  This  he  did,  but  took  a  dose  of  gold  in 
solution  before  appearing  before  the  conquering  gen- 
eral. He  then  pleaded  that  his  people  might  be  saved, 
took  a  drink  of  water,  and  died  in  his  chair.  His 
head  was  cut  off  and  his  poor  defenceless  men,  women, 
and  children  were  massacred.  A  few  having  weapons 
escaped.  It  is  said  that  over  twenty  thousand  persons 
were  slaughtered  by  the  brutal  Imperial  soldiers,  and 
that  people  who  walked  along  the  streets  got  their 
feet  wet  with  human  blood. 

Sweet-Smelling-Garden-Wood  was  saved  from  de- 
struction through  the  kindness  of  a  general  in  the 
Imperial  army  who,  though  a  Mohammedan,  had 
not  joined  the  rebellion.  This  general,  "  A-Pair-of- 
Round-Horses,"  took  Sweet-Smelling-Garden-Wood 
and  preserved  him  until  everything  was  quiet.  Talifu 
was  easily  defended,  because  the  garden  walls  and 
houses  were  constructed  of  rounded  stones  and  not  of 
mud.  On  one  of  these  stone  walls  I  stood  to  take  a 
photograph  of  the  new  mission  buildings.  These  have 
an  interesting  history. 

Along  North  Gate  Street  Cantonese  traders  ex- 
hibited all  sorts  of  wares,  foreign  and  native,  for  sale. 


24o  A  CURIOUS  GRAVEYARD 

They  are  a  commercial  people,  and  spread  themselves 
all  over  this  Province.  Large  umbrellas  covered  the 
butchers  and  their  long  slabs  of  pork.  The  Chinese 
prefer  pork,  and  it  is  difficult  to  buy  mutton  or  beef 
unless  the  butcher  is  assured  of  a  wholesale  deal. 

Three  li  beyond  the  city,  toward  the  north,  are  three 
pagodas,  the  largest  one  being  four  hundred  Chinese 
feet  high.  (A  Chinese  foot  is  about  three  English 
Inches.)  Toward  the  south  is  another  pagoda;  in 
fact,  the  city  is  well  pagoda-ed,  and  the  elements  ought 
to  be  properly  balanced  and  good  luck  kept  well  in 
hand.  But  whatever  other  use  the  pagoda  may 
have,  it  relieves  the  landscape  and  makes  picturesque 
some  very  ordinary  scenery.  Behind  the  pagodas 
pure  white  snow  glistened  on  the  lofty  mountains. 
In  the  summer  ice  and  snow  are  brought  from  the 
mountains  and  sold  in  the  public  streets.  The  same 
is  done  in  Damascus,  far  away.  The  melted  highland 
ice  and  snow  form  many  cold  streams  which  flow  down 
into  the  lake.  Many  stone  bridges  span  these  streams 
along  the  roads  to  Talifu. 

I  turned  off  thirty  li  from  the  main  road  to  Bhamo 
to  visit  Talifu.  It  was  worth  while  as  the  place  is 
one  of  the  beautiful  spots  in  Western  China.  Indeed, 
it  is  just  the  place  for  a  sanatorium  for  missionaries 
out  of  repair.  A  few  weeks  of  recuperation  there 
would  probably  save  the  expense  and  time  of  sending 
them  home  to  recruit. 

From  the  three  pagodas  I  passed  through  a  grave- 
yard which,  a  Mohammedan  friend  said,  is  twenty  li 
long  and  three  wide,  and  has  several  thousands  of 
people  buried  in  it.  The  graves  are  mostly  fronted 
with  a  stone  arch  cut  out  of  a  single  slab.  In  this,  and 
closing  the  entrance,  is  another  thinner  piece  of 
stone,  on  which  the  inscriptions  are  cut.  This  style  of 


A  CHINESE  SHOEMAKER  241 

gravestone  is  unlike  any  I  have  seen  in  China.  They 
stretched  out  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see,  and  gave  to 
the  landscape  an  uncanny  look,  which  was  made  more 
uncanny  still  by  the  mound  in  which  ten  thousand, 
who  were  slain  on  the  retaking  of  the  city  by  the 
Chinese,  are  buried.  Adjoining  this  monster  ceme- 
tery is  the  Third  Moon  Fair  Ground,  where  "  seven 
or  eight  thousand  tens  "  gather.  On  this  ground  is 
a  very  large  stone  turtle,  which  is  held  down  by  a 
heavy  slab  on  his  back,  and  next  door  to  the  turtle 
is  the  Temple  of  Wealth. 

Accompanied  by  six  soldiers,  sent  to  make  it  easy 
for  me  to  take  photographs,  we  entered  "  Kill-Sheep- 
Street,"  and  had  a  tasty  meal  at  the  mission  house. 
One  feature  of  the  dinner  was  the  large  goose  I  had 
myself  shot  as  we  passed  along  the  road  some  thirty 
li  from  the  city,  and  which  a  man  had  carried  thirty 
odd  li,  over  ten  miles,  for  two  hundred  cash,  or  ten 
cents  gold. 

That  afternoon  a  Chinese  shoemaker  came  to  put 
half  soles  on  my  shoes,  but  I  refused  to  have  it  done 
unless  I  was  present.  At  Chowtung  I  let  a  man  take 
away  my  shoes.  He  sewed  soft  leather  soles  on  with 
heavy  twine  a  sixteenth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  for 
which  I  paid  three  hundred  cash.  As  the  huge  stitches 
were  pulled  through  the  inside  sole,  the  twine  came 
through  inside  and  gave  me  sore  feet  for  a  week,  and 
the  new  soles  came  off  in  thirty-six  hours.  Then,  at 
another  place,  I  got  a  pair  of  top  shoes  made,  Chinese 
style,  costing  a  tael  and  a  half,  or  less  than  one  gold 
dollar,  and  although  the  maker  took  my  measure, 
they  were  an  inch  too  short.  At  Tung  Chuan  I  em- 
ployed another  man  to  make  a  pair,  which  were  so 
large  that  I  put  in  a  half-inch  layer  of  cotton  wadding, 
and  then  they  were  still  too  big.  So  I  got  some  nails 

Q 


242  A  SUCCESSFUL  AMATEUR 

from  the  missionaries,  brass  and  iron  ones  of  the  right 
length,  an  inch  long,  and  sat  down  to  see  the  per- 
formance. The  Chinaman  ripped  off  the  partly  worn 
soles  and  cut  out  thin  ones  to  put  on.  I  made  him 
put  two  on  each  shoe.  Then  he  took  an  awl  four 
times  the  size  of  the  nails,  made  great  holes,  and  stuck 
the  nails  in.  Result,  the  soles  came  up  and  off  as 
fast  as  he  put  them  on.  Then  I  went  to  work  myself. 
Fortunately  for  me,  when  a  boy  I  had  seen  kind  Owen 
Croman  sole  shoes  in  a  little  shop  near  my  home  in 
Doylestown.  With  inconvenient  tools,  I,  the  shoe- 
maker, went  to  work  and  managed  to  accumulate  much 
merit,  I  suppose,  for  the  wily  fellow  charged  me  three 
prices  for  the  job!  But  I  got  the  soles,  and  that  was 
important  to  one  who  likes  to  walk  and  hunt.  I  could 
now  appreciate  the  reasons  for  missionaries  wearing 
native  outfits,  for  what  the  Chinaman  and  his  ancestors 
have  made  can  be  well  made  now  and  at  reasonable 
prices  too. 

"  The  lyfe  so  short,  the  craft  so  long  to  lerne, 

Th'  assay  so  hard,  so  sharpe  the  conquering." 

At  Talifu  we  replenished  our  stock  of  vegetables, 
fruit,  and  good  nature. 


If  you  don't  want  anybody  to  know  it,  don't  do  it ! — History  of 
the  Three  States. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


THE     EFFECTS      OF      OPIUM THE      GODDESS     OF 

MERCY      HALL AN     IMPREGNABLE     FORTIFICA- 
TION  AN    ODORIFEROUS    INN — MOSLEM    COFFINS 

A    KINDLY    MULLAH A    PLAGUE    OF    INCENSE. 

BOTH  chairmen  and  coolies  who  had 
come  with  me  from  Yunnan  Fu 
k  were  anxious  to  re-engage  and  go 
i  on  to  Burma,  but  as  the  last 
great  section  of  the  Across  China 
Tour  is  the  longest,  and  in  some 
ways  the  most  trying  to  the 
physical  capabilities  of  men  and 
beasts,  it  seemed  best  to  get  fresh 
men  for  the  remainder  of  the  journey.  I  had  thought 
of  taking  horses,  mules  or  donkeys,  but  there  is 
no  question  that  for  a  long  strain  men  can  do 
the  best.  Then,  too,  some  of  my  men  from  Yun- 
nan were  great  opium  smokers,  and  unable  to 
endure  continual  exertion.  Poor  fellows,  forging 
the  chains  of  a  dreadful  habit  which  will  bring  them 
to  poverty!  When  the  intense  desire  for  the  drug 
would  come  on  in  the  afternoon  and  the  "  ying  "  or 
habit  got  to  work,  I  have  seen  the  coolies  lie  down, 


False  Face. 


244  THE  YAMEN  OF  TAOTAI 

unable  to  withstand  the  craving,  and  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  get  them  up  again. 

The  Viceroy  having  wired  the  officials  at  Tali  to 
give  me  every  assistance,  they  called  and  offered  their 
services,  so  I  put  the  matter  of  getting  new  men  in 
the  hands  of  the  City  Magistrate.  He  gave  his  per- 
sonal attention  to  the  matter,  and  a  better  managed 
affair  one  could  not  expect.  My  caravan  consisted  of 
three  mountain  chairs  with  four  men  each,  and  ten 
coolies  carrying  baggage  over  their  shoulders.  There 
were  also  a  boss  coolie,  and  a  man  representing  the 
Yamen  or  magistrate,  besides  four  red-coated  "  He- 
roes," who  escorted  the  company  as  guard. 

Mr.  Emberly,  of  the  Inland  Mission,  who  came  out 
from  England  only  a  year  ago,  walked  with  us  for 
thirty  li.  I  said  good-bye  to  kind  Mr.  McLean,  and 
the  caravan  moved  off  at  a  quick  step,  turning  out  of 
Kill-Sheep-Street  into  East  Gate  Street,  passing  under 
an  insignificant  tower  related  to  the  Temple  of  the 
God  of  Literature  into  Big  Street.  The  city  appeared 
to  be  deserted  in  the  early  morning;  only  the  scaven- 
gers, the  dogs,  were  to  be  seen.  We  passed  the  Likin 
office,  and  went  straight  by  the  Five  Glory  Tower  to 
the  Yamen  of  Taotai,  which  is  the  residence  of  the 
military  ruler  of  the  Province  of  Yunnan.  It  was 
formerly  occupied  by  the  Mohammedan  Sultan.  Per- 
sons are  permitted  to  walk  through  the  place,  but 
animals  and  chairs  must  go  round.  Two  monster  poles 
with  wooden  V-shaped  cages  two-thirds  of  the  way 
up,  which,  throughout  all  China,  signify  an  official 
residence,  stand  prominent  and  large  enough  to 
catch  all  the  bad  spirits  on  their  way  down  to  dis- 
turb official  quietude  and  hold  them  in  mid-air.  As 
we  passed,  a  salute  of  one  gun  was  fired,  either  in  our 
honour  or  as  a  signal  to  open  the  big  south  gate  ahead 


Ixxxi 


Ixxxii 


THE  GODDESS  OF  MERCY  HALL      245 

of  time  in  order  that  the  distinguished  visitors  might 
not  be  detained.  We  waited  only  a  few  moments 
for  the  old  watchman  to  bring  the  huge  rusty  keys 
and  unlock  the  gate.  One  old  cannon  lay  by  the  street 
side  and  opposite  were  paper  horses  for  sale.  When 
they  are  burnt  the  spirits  of  the  dead  will  have  some- 
thing to  ride  on  in  spook-land. 

We  crossed  a  stone  bridge  and  passed  through  vil- 
lages which  are  only  a  shadow  of  their  former  size 
and  prosperity.  Everything  was  very  quiet,  nobody 
being  up  but  the  gods,  and  these  were  pasted  up.  A 
single  pagoda  stands  on  the  south  side  of  the  city  to 
look  after  the  prosperity  from  that  quarter.  The  road 
all  the  way  to  Hsiakwan,  a  distance  of  thirty  li,  is 
paved  with  stone  ten  feet  wide,  and  is  the  straightest 
I  have  seen  in  China.  The  boss  coolie  told  me  that 
the  Moslems  did  this  work,  and  it  was  probably  true, 
for  they  are  not  disturbed  by  vindictive  spirits  who 
despise  straight  roads.  When  near  the  tree  of  the 
Third  Moon  Agreement,  I  was  told  that  on  the  Plain 
of  Talifu  there  are  three  hundred  villages  in  sight, 
and  three  hundred  and  sixty  temples.  The  villages 
for  the  most  part  belong  to  aboriginal  tribes,  who 
married  the  first  Chinese  emigrants.  They  have  a 
language  of  their  own,  but  know  sufficient  Chinese 
for  ordinary  business.  The  most  interesting  object  on 
this  road  to  the  lover  of  legend  is  the  Goddess  of 
Mercy  Hall.  Here,  over  the  door,  is  the  inscription, 
"  Great  Stone  Place."  We  stopped  and  rapped,  but 
were  too  early  for  the  keeper,  so  we  hastened  on.  In- 
side is  a  mythical  stone  with  a  pavilion  over  it,  sur- 
rounded by  a  lily  pond,  about  which  the  natives  told 
me  a  story.  In  the  very  early  days,  a  Burmese  army 
was  approaching  to  capture  the  city  of  Tali.  The 
Goddess  of  Mercy  turned  herself  into  an  old  woman 


246  A  COVERED  BRIDGE 

and  came  along  carrying  this  great  stone,  as  large  as 
a  first-class  cabin  on  an  ocean  steamer.  A  Burmese 
soldier  said  to  her,  "  Old  mother,  is  that  really  a 
stone  ?  "  "  Oh,  yes,"  she  replied.  Then  he  asked 
where  the  city  was,  and  she  told  him  it  was  in  sight, 
but  if  they  went  there  the  army  would  perish. 
Disregarding  her  warning,  they  proceeded  toward 
the  city.  While  they  were  drinking  water  at  a 
spring,  suddenly  a  great  wave  came  from  the 
mountain  and  engulfed  many  of  them.  The  rest  fled. 
Then  the  Goddess  of  Mercy  interposed  to  preserve  the 
city.  It  may  be  that  she  threw  the  stone  in  the  upper 
stream ! 

In  less  than  two  and  a  half  hours  we  entered  the 
fortified  city  of  Hsiakwan,  passed  through  a  series  of 
gates  and  walls,  and  stopped  at  the  "  Assembly-of- 
the-Sea-from-Afar  "  eating  house  for  "  early  rice." 

This  is,  from  the  Chinese  standpoint,  an  impreg- 
nable fortification  for  the  defence  of  Talifu.  One  arm 
of  the  wall  extends  out  to  the  narrow  pass  five  li 
from  the  city,  our  road  running  on  the  opposite  bank 
of  the  Yangpi  River.  Modern  cannon  could  blow  the 
cactus  off  the  crumbling  battlements  into  the  river 
which  flows  out  of  the  lake  of  Tali.  The  wall  ends 
in  a  tower  of  heavy  masonry,  with  a  graceful  arch 
spanning  the  highway.  The  sign  over  the  road  reads, 
Heaven  begets  Virtue.  Just  here  the  river  narrowed 
to  about  ten  feet,  passing  under  an  exquisitely  beau- 
tiful natural  bridge.  A  woman,  basket  on  back,  with 
a  black  hog's  head  sticking  out,  passed  us.  The 
porker  grunted  a  salutation — better  manners  than  of 
ships  that  pass  in  the  night.  The  road  is  in  view  of 
a  succession  of  rapids;  and  budding  willows  line 
the  two  banks  of  the  river  until  the  Vine  Bridge  is 
reached.  Forty  Li  Bridge  is  a  wooden-covered  affair 


A  VALLEY  OF  ENCHANTMENT       247 

of  single  span,  with  many  single  holes  in  the  roof. 
This  is  the  first  covered  wooden  bridge  I  had  seen  in 
China.  Beautiful  in  that  warm  valley  is  the  landscape. 
Poppies  are  in  bloom,  peaches  are  in  bloom,  mustard 
is  in  bloom,  beans  are  in  bloom — everything  indeed  is 
in  bloom  in  this  valley  of  enchantment. 

Leaving  behind  us  Hsiakwan,  we  reached  the  village 
of  Tanchi  Pu  where  I  purchased  eggs  at  six  cash  each, 
or  about  three  and  a  half  gold  cents  a  dozen.  Thirty 
feet  from  the  river,  just  below  this  hamlet,  is  a  huge 
rock  in  the  shape  of  a  skull,  twenty  feet  in  length, 
which  resembles  the  funny  pictures  in  American  papers 
of  "  Moike."  It  is  detached  and  strongly  suggests  an 
exaggerated  face  and  head  of  an  unusual  Irishman. 

The  darkness  was  on  when  we  entered  the  village  of 
Yangpi,  where  we  were  to  stop  over  Sunday.  Yangpi, 
while  only  a  town,  is  walled,  and  a  military  official 
resides  there.  The  place  is  a  hundred  and  thirty  li 
from  Talifu,  and  is  important  because  it  guards  a 
mountain  road  and  pass,  which,  by  the  way,  is  fre- 
quented by  smugglers.  It  is  said  that  some  two  thou- 
sand Mohammedans  tried  to  escape  by  this  road  when 
Talifu  fell,  but  the  route  to  Yangpi  being  closed,  they 
all  perished.  I  stopped  at  Righteousness  Working 
Inn,  a  most  disagreeable  place.  There  was  no  outlook 
to  my  room,  and  the  inlook  was  an  open  square  or 
court  measuring  twenty  feet  and  used  as  a  resting  and 
feeding  place  for  four  large  black  hogs  and  divers 
others  of  moderate  size.  It  belonged  to  the  odoriferous 
age.  The  miserable  shanty  was  kept  by  one  Chen, 
which  name  might  mean  "  Stinking."  If  so,  the  Inn 
was  properly  named !  In  fact,  I  might  say,  as  Cole- 
ridge said  of  Cologne : 

"  I  counted  two  and  seventy  stenches, 
All  well-defined,  and  several  stinks." 


248  GOITRE 

Poor  old  fellow,  he  was  sixty  years  of  age,  and  was 
suffering  from  pulmonary  tuberculosis,  and  his  wife 
had  sciatica.  He  came  there  thirty  years  ago,  and 
built  the  place.  A  board  hanging  out  in  front  ex- 
plained that  "  Visitors  are  informed  that  officials, 
business  people,  and  others  are  invited  to  this  newly- 
opened  inn." 

Early  Monday  morning,  before  light,  we  left  Yangpi 
which  is  five  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  crossed  an 
iron  chain  suspension  bridge  over  the  Yangpi  River, 
and  began  a  steep  ascent.  Six  lanterns  and  as  many 
flaming  torches  of  split  bamboo  furnished  light,  as 
we  would  be  amidst  strange  and  uncanny  shapes  up 
the  mountain  side.  The  leading  torch-man  sets  a  bun- 
dle of  fir  limbs  afire,  which  was  intended  to  head  off 
spooks,  because  a  few  graves  were  near  by.  In  three 
hours  we  were  at  an  altitude  over  eight  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea  by  our  aneroid,  among  forests,  mul- 
berry trees,  a  variety  of  ferns,  and  other  abundant 
foliage.  Some  forty-five  li  from  Yangpi  are  salt  wells, 
and  the  region,  though  very  steep,  is  cultivated.  A 
chain  suspension  bridge,  in  good  condition,  spans  the 
Long  River.  It  was  early  when,  after  doing  one 
hundred  and  twenty  li,  we  entered  the  small  village 
of  Kuanglien  Pu  to  pass  the  night.  My  men  had 
done  well,  and  were  cheerful.  Goitre,  I  found,  is  prev- 
alent here.  The  landlady  had  a  severe  form  of  it,  and 
found  difficulty  in  speaking. 

On  Tuesday,  we  made  another  one  hundred  and 
twenty  li.  Starting  at  five  thousand  two  hundred  and 
ninety  feet  above  the  sea,  we  climbed  to  eight  thousand 
four  hundred  and  ten,  and  then  down  to  five  thousand 
five  hundred  and  twenty  at  Chutung,  where  I  re- 
mained for  the  night.  At  eleven  A.M.  the  wind 
suddenly  arose  to  a  gale.  I  have  never  met  such 


A  MINIATURE  UNIVERSITY          249 

sudden  changes  of  the  weather  except  on  the  sea  of 
Galilee.  Soon  after  this  tremendous  wind  we  came  up- 
on five  Japanese  engineers;  they  were  cordial,  and  all 
spoke  English.  With  my  rifleman,  I  took  a  run  down 
the  mountain  to  the  beautiful  plain  of  Yangping. 

Amidst  flowers  and  gazing  people,  I  crossed  this 
plain  to  the  village  of  Chutung  and  put  up  at  the 
"  Come-Again  "  Inn.  My  room  contained  an  old  gun 
of  the  two-man  type,  still  turned  out  at  the  arsenal 
at  Yunnanfu.  To  operate  it,  one  man  holds  it  on  his 
shoulder  and  the  other  pulls  the  trigger,  both  getting 
killed  in  the  event  of  its  bursting,  which  frequently 
happens.  The  dangerous  thing  is  over  eight  feet 
long!  The  room  was  upstairs,  and  had  a  fine  out- 
look; in  fact,  the  inn  generally  was  good.  Leaving 
Autumn  and  Winter  Street  for  a  stroll,  I  turned  out 
of  North  Gate  Street  to>  Lordship  Street,  and  entered 
the  grounds  of  the  Moslem  Mosque.  On  my  way  I 
purchased  sweet  potatoes  of  an  old  hag,  who  charged 
me  just  twice  too  much.  A  man  standing  near  had 
brass  buttons  with  Queen  Victoria's  head  on.  The 
outer  gate  of  the  mosque  had  a  six-sided  tower  with 
as  many  windows,  used  for  a  minaret.  The  whole  place 
was  in  good  repair,  eight  hundred  ounces  of  silver 
having  been  recently  expended  for  the  work.  There 
are  two  hundred  Moslem  families  in  the  place.  The 
Mullah  greeted  me  kindly,  and  served  tea  in  the  open 
school-room,  where  he  teaches  some  sixty  boys  the 
Koran  in  Arabic.  They  all  eat  beetlenut  and  lime! 
This  miniature  imitation  of  the  great  University  of  the 
Mohammedans,  El  Azar,  with  its  fourteen  thousand 
students,  shows  that  the  followers  oif  Mohammed  are 
loyal.  On  entering  the  gate,  a  strong  odour  struck 
my  nostrils,  and  turning,  behold!  two  coffins  lashed 
to  poles  stood  ready  to  be  taken  to  the  mountains  for 


250  A  CORDIAL  MULLAH 

burial.  The  Moslem  coffins  are  not  hermetically  sealed 
as  the  Chinese  are.  The  former  have  movable  boards 
and  when  the  corpse  has  been  dropped  into  the 
grave  they  do  duty  for  years.  The  niche  of  the  Mosque 
is  towards  Mecca,  and  the  worship-room,  thirty  by 
fifty  feet,  showed  a  polished  floor  and  skins  for  the 
worshippers  to  kneel  on.  The  Moslem  leader  called 
on  me  at  the  inn  in  the  evening,  with  his  son,  who 
is  suffering  from  a  skin  disease.  We  suggested  soap, 
giving  him  a  piece,  and  prescribed  lard,  but  he  hesitated 
at  this,  being  a  Mohammedan.  He  finally  said  "  I  will 
use  swine  fat  for  medicine."  When  leaving  this  after- 
noon, he  presented  me  with  an  oragne  just  plucked 
from  one  of  the  trees  in  front  of  the  Mosque,  so  the 
soap  made  us  even.  I  was  writing  and  he  said,  "  put 
down  that  I  belong  to  the  Mohammedan  religion." 
He  is  a  cordial  man,  this  Mullah,  and  says  prayers 
five  times  a  day.  On  Friday,  the  Moslem  Sunday,  he 
preaches  to  about  eighty  of  the  "  faithful." 

The  Long  Silver  River  which  flows  through  the  plain 
rises  suddenly  in  the  seventh  or  eighth  Moon,  when 
there  have  been  heavy  rains  in  the  mountains.  As 
some  people  were  stepping  across  from  stone  to  stone, 
eight  years  ago,  a  wave  came  without  warning  and 
killed  several  of  them  before  quickly  receding. 

On  Wednesday,  the  fourth  of  March,  or,  as  the  Chi- 
nese say,  the  sixth  sun  of  the  second  moon  of  the  twen- 
ty-ninth year  of  the  Emperor  Kwang  Hsu,  and  in  the 
cycle  of  sixty  the  Rabbit,  we  made  an  early  start,  and 
had  much  the  same  climbing  as  on  the  day  before. 
We  started  at  five  thousand  five  hundred  feet  above 
the  sea,  went  up  to  eight  thousand  five  hundred  and 
ten  and  came  down  to  Pingpo,  which  is,  according  to 
Baber,  four  thousand  nine  hundred  and  twenty,  my 
aneroid  marking  it  at  a  little  over  five  thousand  feet. 


Ixxxiii 


•••s-y 


Ixxxiv 


BRIDGES  251 

In  some  parts  of  the  way  the  underbrush  was  very 
thick.  At  one  time  we  met  more  than  two  hundred 
horses  and  donkeys  with  foreign  goods  from  Burmah. 
The  steep  valleys  leading  from  the  plain  of  Shayang 
Ho,  up  the  mountains,  are  terraced  and  green.  One 
hundred  feet  below  is  a  flat  covered  with  whitewashed 
graves,  the  whitewashing  being  attended  to  at  New 
Year's  time.  The  graves  point  exactly  south,  as  if 
laid  by  a  compass.  I  hung  my  pocket  Fahr.  ther- 
mometer on  a  tall  cactus  in  the  sun,  and  it  registered 
fifty-two  degrees.  The  village  of  Shayang  Ho  is 
seventy-five  li  from  Chutung.  The  entrance  is  over 
a  bridge,  on  which  is  erected  a  demon  trap,  i.e.,  a 
small  temple  erected  to  the  king  of  the  demons.  This 
is  supposed  to  be  a  safe  plan  for  preventing  his  in- 
feriors from  interfering  with  the  town's  people.  Near 
the  skew  bridge  is  an  official  rest  house.  Two  hun- 
dred families  the  place  boasts  of  and  six  temples. 
There  is  a  market  every  five  days,  at  which  time  the 
town  is  crowded.  I  "  ate  the  afternoon  "  at  "  Greatly 
Increasing  Inn,"  and  went  on  to  the  River  Mekong, 
twenty  li  distant,  which  I  reached  at  half-past  two 
P.M.  The  descent  at  this  point  is  by  the  most  zig- 
zag track  I  have  seen  or  travelled  in  the  Celestial 
Empire.  At  the  lower  end  of  the  turn  is  a  fine  road 
supported  on  the  river  side  by  good  masonry.  This 
appears  to  have  been  presided  over  by  engineers.  The 
approaches  to  an  iron  suspension  bridge  are  gorgeous. 
There  are  few  views  superior  to  this  on  the  Yangtze. 
On  the  east  end  of  the  bridge  is  the  inscription  "  Hills 
High  and  Water  Long;"  on  the  west  side  "  The  west 
must  severely  govern."  The  suspension  bridge  spans 
sixty  yards  where  the  river  issues  from  a  dark  gorge, 
and  was  rebuilt  last  year  at  a  cost  of  eight  thousand 
taels,  the  money  being  given  by  officials  and  the 


252  A  GREAT  MAN 

wealthy  gentry.  So  said  the  Likin  barrier  man,  who 
was  located  at  the  east  end  of  the  bridge.  All  the  sus- 
pension bridges  in  Yunnan  seem  to  be  constructed  on 
the  same  principle.  Chains  of  oval  links  about  seven 
inches  long  are  drawn  across,  leaving  a  slight  curve, 
and  fastened  in  masonry  at  the  ends.  Two  side  chains 
are  swung  to  protect  the  traveller  against  falling  over. 
Planks  are  laid  on  the  chains  to  walk  on.  How  the 
Chinese  tighten  these  chains  I  could  not  learn.  The 
Mekong  Bridge  is  protected  by  temples  and  divers 
idols.  Five  li  up  the  western  ascent  is  the  village  of 
Mekong  Terrace,  or  Pingpo.  Five  hundred  feet  below 
this  place  flows  the  beautiful  Mekong,  and  on  the 
opposite  or  eastern  side  the  mountains  tower  precipi- 
tous and  bare. 

I  asked  an  old  resident,  "  Have  you  had  no  scholars 
or  great  men  here  in  the  past  ?  "  The  reply  was  "  No. 
The  children  even  do  not  learn  to  read;  we  only  at- 
tend to  our  eating  and  work."  It  is  a  great  fallacy 
to  suppose  that  the  Chinese  are  educated.  Millions 
of  children  go  to  school,  it  is  true,  for  three  years, 
during  which  time  they  are  taught  the  formation 
and  sound  of  character,  but  not  the  meaning;  the 
greater  number  never  learn  the  sense  except  of  the 
few  characters  used  in  their  trade  or  business.  The 
Pingpo  man  corrected  himself  and  said,  "  Yes,  we  have 
had  one  great  man."  "  What  did  he  do  ?  "  I  eagerly 
inquired.  "  O,  he  lived  to  be  one  hundred  and  seven 
years  of  age." 

In  my  upstairs  room  were  the  God  of  Riches,  the 
Ancestral  Tablet,  and  a  paper  pasted  between  the  two 
to  heaven  and  earth.  On  a  table  in  front  of  them 
were  various  urns  for  burning  pulverized  incense.  They 
were  four-fifths  full  of  ashes  already.  The  young 
grandson  of  the  hundred  and  seven  years  grandfather 


A  PLAGUE  OF  INCENSE  253 

came  up  and  placed  two  urns  before  the  God  of  Riches, 
evidently  intent  on  working  him  for  all  he  was  worth, 
and  one  each  before  the  ancestral  tablet  and  the  heaven 
and  earth.  Then  he  put  incense  to  each.  The  even- 
ing before  it  was  a  Moslem  who  was  not  ashamed  of 
his  religion;  this  night  an  idolater  was  not  ashamed 
of  his. 

Incense  to  heaven  and  earth,  ancestors,  and  god  of 
riches  filled  the  room,  so  that  I  could  not  sleep.  The 
young  fellow  came  and  started  the  things  going,  and 
then  left  me  to  smell  them.  I  offered  to  throw  the 
whole  batch  out  of  the  window,  but  that  saddened 
the  interpreter  who  had  a  vision  of  a  riot,  so  I  con- 
cluded to  let  them  have  their  ancestors,  heaven  and 
earth,  and  god  of  riches  until  they  can  get  something 
better.  However,  I  extinguished  the  incense.  In  ad- 
dition to  these  drawbacks,  about  sixty  donkeys  were 
stopping  with  us  at  the  inn,  their  keepers  sleeping 
soundly  beside  their  goods  in  the  open  court. 


Effective  medicine  embitters  the  mouth,  but  heals  disease, 
Faithful  words  offend  the  ear,  but  reform  the  conduct. 

— Domestic  Analects. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A      WEIRD     PROCESSION — A      WEDDING     REPAST — 

AN    ANCIENT    FESTIVAL THE   VALLEY   OF   THE 

SHADOW THE      MONSTER      OF      THE      SALWEEN 

RIVER — COOLIE      SUPERSTITIONS AN      UNGRATE- 
FUL  PATIENT. 

T  cock-crowing  on  March  fifth, 
we  left  the  inn  and  incense, 
but  no  insolence,  of  Pingpo 
with  lanterns,  flaming  torches 
and  four  guards.  The  ar- 
rangement of  the  caravan 
was  on  this  wise.  First  a 
hero,  then  a  local  torch-man 

Bridge  with  Demon  Trap.  carrymg  the  split  bamboo  af- 
fair making  great  light  and  flame,  after  him  my  moun- 
tain chair  borne  by  four  sturdy  fellows,  then  the 
interpreter's  chair,  also  borne  by  four,  then  a  torch- 
man,  who,  in  turn,  was  followed  by  the  secretary's 
octoped  vehicle  with  torch-man.  Then  followed  more 
heroes,  the  long  line  of  coolies  carrying  luggage  and 
"  chow,"  the  boss  coolies  and  a  single  hero.  At  my  side 
marched  a  nimble  soldier  with  the  repeating  rifle  on  his 
shoulder.  He  had  orders  to  keep  within  ten  feet  of  me 


A  STRANGE  PROCESSION  255 

all  the  time.  Amidst  the  barking  of  dogs,  the  proces- 
sion slowly  went  up  the  deserted  street  between  two 
rows  of  thatched  mud  huts,  filed  out  of  the  west  end, 
and  at  once  began  the  ascent  of  the  steep  mountain. 
The  light  of  the  flambeaux  flung  weird,  ghostly  shapes 
into  the  dark  ravine.  The  effect  was  heightened  when 
the  mischievous  torchman  set  the  long  grass  afire  and 
the  gloomy  mountains  were  reddened  with  an  uncer- 
tain light  to  the  sky  line.  In  the  dense  darkness  ahead, 
the  noise  of  a  waterfall  told  us  we  were  far  from 
the  summit.  A  good  road  zig-zagged  upward.  Paved 
with  stone  and  guarded  by  a  balustrade  of  the  same 
material  split  and  set  on  edge,  the  path  gave  no 
anxiety,  but  some  exertion.  In  several  places  the 
road  lay  high  on  single  arch  stone  bridges,  spanning 
mountain  torrents  far  below.  Near  one  of  these 
picturesque  bridges  were  stone  tablets  standing  per- 
pendicular, inscribed  on  which  were  characters  ex- 
pressing praise  of  comfortable  men  who  contributed  to 
the  construction  of  the  bridges.  Next  to  the  memorial 
slabs  was  a  demon  trap.  Two  hours  out  of  Pingpo 
we  entered  Water  Refuge,  passed  by  two  wells  without 
stopping,  and  before  three  hours  of  the  day's  journey 
were  over  our  aneroid  registered  over  eight  thousand 
feet.  Now,  as  Pingpo  was  less  than  five  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea,  our  course  had  been  distinctly  up- 
ward. The  road  was  good,  the  scenery  grand,  and 
the  small  steep  cultivated  valleys,  containing  a  few 
sheltered  huts,  looked  peaceful.  The  population  was 
sparse  with  little  to  warrant  the  statement  of  certain 
statistical  gentlemen  who  have  never  travelled  ;in  the 
Province,  that  the  inhabitants  numbered  over  six 
millions.  Men  of  experience  tell  me  that  many  such 
vacant  stretches  exist.  If  that  day's  observation  is 
a  gauge  for  an  estimate,  I  am  not  far  wrong  in  saying 


256  A  TRADE  IN  COFFINS 

that  the  population  is  not  more  than  five  millions, 
at  the  very  most.  On  this  day,  batches  of  donkeys 
with  long  ears  and  short  tails,  driven  by  men  with 
short  ears  and  long  tails,  passed  us  going  to  fetch  salt. 

After  going  fifty  li  we  stopped  at  Bullock  Yoke 
Hamlet,  composed  of  two  eating,  or  rather  nibbling, 
houses,  and  no  bullock,  for  early  rice.  We  carried 
in  a  Chowtung  basket  native  sponge  cake,  onions,  and 
other  vegetables,  lest  we  should  be  delayed  at  these 
wayside  inns.  Here  I  ate  a  new  kind  of  rice,  the 
stickiest  rice  I  ever  met  with.  I  had  breakfast  before 
eating  it,  and  took  it  simply  to  cap  the  climax. 
Later — the  cap  was  still  on!  A  company  of  Can- 
tonese mendicant  merchants  who  trade  in  all  sorts 
of  merchandise  (including  opium),  stopped  at  Bullock 
Yoke  to  rest.  Four  were  heavily  armed  with  gt»od 
rifles.  Our  caravan  descended  to  Externally  Existing 
Plain,  on  the  road  down  to  which  I  saw  graves  re- 
sembling inverted  coal  scuttles. 

The  place  is  celebrated  for  coffins  and  dyeing,  and 
has  about  five  hundred  families.  Huge  stacks  of  cof- 
fins and  dyed  cloth  with  cheerful  suggestions  salute 
the  visitor's  eyes.  On  the  journey  from  Bhamo  to 
Talifu,  the  merchandise  trains  usually  stop  to  change 
horses  and  repair  damages  at  Wooden  Bridge,  for  the 
place  boasts  plenty  of  smiths.  Just  outside  the  village 
a  wooden  bridge  spans  the  river,  which  irrigates  the 
famous  Yungchang  Plain.  Beyond,  the  road  lies 
along  a  causeway,  beside  which  field  reservoirs  have 
been  constructed  over  against  the  rainless  month. 

While  crossing  the  plain  I  purchased  a  beautiful 
Amherst  pheasant  for  two  hundred  cash.  It  was 
too  pretty  to  kill,  so  the  interpreter  kept  it  to  take 
home. 

Along  the  route  incense  sticks  and  paper  money 


Ixxxi 


Ixxxvi 


CHOICE  PARTS  OF  A  CHICKEN       257 

were  placed  to  placate  evilly  inclined  ghosts,  and  give 
the  fresh  spirits  cash  for  spirit  travel. 

The  North  Gate  of  the  Fu  dty  of  Yungchang  is 
hardly  entered  before  the  vacant  places,  with  growing 
crops,  and  ruins,  indicate  more  prosperous  times  in 
the  past.  The  open  spaces  are  now  sufficient  to  grow 
food  for  a  defending  army.  The  city  is  but  a 
shadow  of  its  former  glory.  The  Glad  House  Inn, 
kept  by  Victorious  Li,  provided  me  an  upper  room, 
which  was  seldom  used  except  for  storing  away  things 
and  dirt.  I  tore  some  red  paper  off  a  beautiful  view 
of  the  Holy  Hill,  with  many  temples  and  other  spirit 
affairs  picturesquely  perched  on  its  side. 

After  a  brief  halt,  I  left  Glad  House  Inn,  which 
fronts  on  Concentrated  Gladness  Street,  passed  into 
Deputy  Prefects  Street,  and  took  a  snap-shot  at  two 
prisoners  heavily  ironed  and  chained. 

The  temple  to  the  God  of  Literature  was  in  tolerable 
repair.  We  turned  from  this  into  Prefect's  Door 
Street,  and  passed  the  Fu  Yamen  into  Rough  Grass 
Street,  which  leads  directly  up  to  the  Holy  Hill,  or,  as 
the  Chinese  familiarly  call  it,  Peace-Preserving  Hill. 
The  central  temple  belongs  to  the  God  of  Riches.  A 
variety  of  foliage  lends  charm  to  the  view.  Beyond 
the  Dragon  Gate  is  a  modest  pago'da  keeping,  the 
"  Balance  of  the  elements."  Near  the  Dragon  Gate 
a  wedding  procession  passed  us.  The  beast  was  on 
a  tray,  but  the  most  important  dis-h  was  a  chicken's 
head  and  two  wings.  It  was  en  route  to  the  bride's 
house.  The  Chinese  in  this  section  have  a  queer  notion 
about  these  three  choicest  parts  of  an  old  hen. 

The  Horse  God  Temple  was  a  curious  affair,  but  we 
hastened  on  down  New  Tablet  Street  to  the  stone  tab- 
lets erected  some  three  hundred  years  ago,  after  which 
the  street  is  named.  These  were  to  commemorate 

R 


258  STONE  FLOWER  CAVE 

the  ability  of  two  or  three  generations  of  the  Stone 
family,  whose  distinguished  sons  won  the  highest  de- 
grees given  at  Pekin.  I  was  told  by  a  local  "  anchor- 
ite "  that  the  Emperor  issued  an  Edict  for  its  erection, 
and  the  gentry  paid  the  bill. 

A  district  magistrate  had  ordered  the  huge  city  gates 
to  be  opened  very  early  in  the  next  morning  to  let  us 
pass.  The  regular  time  is  at  sunrise.  I  said  "  Go 
slowly  "  to  Glad  House  Inn,  and  departed  about  the 
fourth  watch.  Soon  after  leaving  the  city  we  began 
to  ascend.  I  was  in  advance  of  the  procession,  when 
suddenly  two  of  the  soldiers  came  and  pointed  to  a 
wall  of  rock  which,  in  the  dim  early  light,  I  could 
distinguish.  They  indicated  by  gestures  something 
very  special.  Quick  as  a  flash,  I  thought  of  poor 
Margary  who  was  done  to  death ;  nevertheless  I  fol- 
lowed them  to  a  natural  cave  called  Great  Stone 
Flower  Cave.  It  is  located  twenty  li  from  Yungchang 
and  five  li  from  the  village  of  Stone  Flower  Hall. 
The  entrance  to  this  large  cave  is  fifteen  feet  high 
and  fifteen  wide.  By  turning  directly  to  the  right 
one  enters  the  cave  proper.  It  is  said  to  extend  a 
great  distance  into  the  mountains.  At  the  entrance  is 
a  shrine  in  which  are  three  idols,  the  Supreme  Ruler, 
the  Lord  of  the  Cave,  and  the  God  of  the  Earth,  with 
two  attendant  images.  These  deities  are  there  on 
guard,  for  it  is  generally  supposed  that  demons  inhabit 
the  dark  recesses  of  this  vast  cavern.  For  over  three 
hundred  years  the  people  and  officials  have  assembled 
in  thousands  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  the  first  moon 
to  worship,  while  hundreds  of  traders  take  this  op- 
portunity to  dispose  of  their  goods.  As  the  worship  is 
only  for  one  day,  people  do  not  come  beyond  a  radius 
of  fifty  li.  My  men  could  not  tell  who  originated  this 
festival.  The  main  purpose  is  to  propitiate  the 


ri 

: 


A  DEADLY  VALLEY  259 

gods  in  order  that  prosperity  may  wait  upon  the  city. 
Soon  after  noon  I  left  my  chair  and  hustled.  The 
soldiers  carrying  the  rifle,  camera,  etc.,  were  too  slow, 
so  I  took  these  things  away  from  them,  handed  part 
to  the  faithful  boy  Li,  and  the  balance  went  over  my 
own  shoulder.  We  struck  off  for  the  Salween  River 
to  take  photographs  of  the  famous  bridge  before  dark. 
I  wanted  the  whole  caravan  to  go  and  stop  there 
over  night,  which  it  could  easily  have  done.  But  the 
men  were  afraid  of  the  deadly  valley  which,  since 
the  days  of  the  old  Venetian  traveller,  Marco  Polo, 
has  had  an  evil  reputation.  The  boss  coolie,  with  a 
flush  of  pride,  just  as  if  he  cared  for  the  men,  told  how 
the  lives  of  his  men  were  more  precious  than  much 
silver.  A  huge  joke  that.  He  himself  had  the  shakes 
in  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.  Well,  it  was 
the  hardest  tramp  I  have  had  on  this  Across  China 
trip.  The  sun  hot,  the  road  rough,  the  soles  of  my 
shoes  thin,  nothing  to  eat  since  nine  A.M.,  except  four 
small  pieces  of  native  nut  cake,  and  no  place  to  get 
hot  water,  and  the  heavy  load  to  carry.  Several  times 
I  sat  down  to  rest,  and  was  tempted  to  drink  of  the 
clear  water  at  the  roadside,  but  the  knowledge  that  it 
had  probably  come  from  a  rice  patch  fertilized  with 
human  ordure  caused  me  to  desist.  When  about  ten 
li  from  the  bridge,  I  spied  a  tea  shop  and  made  for 
it.  A  thatched  roof  was  welcome,  even  though  there 
was  nothing  to  refresh  the  inner  man  except  sweetened 
rice  and  hot  water. 

I  soon  devoured  a  basin  of  popped  rice  and  hot 
ater  and  felt  much  better.  Then  on  I  started  for  the 
ridge,  in  order  to  get  there  before  sundown.  The  road 
was  up  and  down  on  the  side  of  a  steep  valley.  Cactus 
and  donkeys  with  piece  goods  from  Burma  were  in 
evidence.  After  many  vicissitudes,  tired  out,  but 


260  A  DEMON  TRAP 

victorious,  I  went  down  the  cut  stone  steps  to  the 
double  suspension  bridge  in  time  ito  take  a  photo  of 
the  demon  trap  by  the  stairs;  then  passed  the  temple 
to  the  Goddess  of  Mercy,  and,  stopping  to  rest  for  a 
moment,  saw  the  soldier  breathing  through  his  cap. 
He  was  afraid  to  inhale  the  air  of  the  valley,  which 
is  said  to  be  a  veritable  plague  spot.  It  may  be 
unhealthy  and  malarious,  but  not  to  such  an  extent 
as  the  superstitious  natives  declare.  The  valley  lay 
before  me,  exceedingly  beautiful ;  it  might  be  "  the 
smile  of  the  siren."  At  certain  times  few  persons 
venture  across,  but  this  was  the  healthiest  season  of 
the  year. 

The  chain  bridge,  or  rather  bridges  (for  there  are 
two  in  the  mysterious  valley)  is  over  one  hundred 
and  forty  yards  long  over  the  water.  It  extends  over 
boulders  on  each  side.  These  are  covered  with  water 
in  the  rainy  season.  Supporting  the  chains  in  the 
midst  of  the  river  is  a  massive  pier  built  on  the  nat- 
ural rock.  Many  workmen  were  engaged  in  repairing 
the  structure,  over  two  thousand  taels  being  expended 
for  this  purpose.  So  when  I  reached  the  pier  it  was 
necessary  to  descend  to  the  boulders  and  clamber  over 
them  to  the  other  side. 

The  other  span  was  ready  for  use,  but  a  lucky  day 
had  not  come  to  open  it.  It  had  been  discovered  that 
the  third  sun  of  the  third  moon  of  this  (Rabbit)  year 
would  be  the  lucky  day.  But  it  was  necessary  for 
me  to  stay  in  the  small  village  at  the  west  end  of  the 
bridge.  A  citizen  was  anxious  to  have  me  stop  with 
him  by  the  river  side,  but  I  indicated  that  the  Likin 
barrier  would  suit  me  better,  where  there  was  a  yard, 
full  of  timbers  being  dressed  for  the  bridge,  overshad- 
owed by  a  fine  banyan  tree.  I  saw  no  evidence  of 
the  plague  which  is  said  to  desolate  this  beautiful 


AN  AMPHIBIOUS  MONSTER          261 

spot.  A  healthier  looking  lot  of  people  I  have  not 
seen  in  China.  The  crowd  was  curious  but  polite,  as  I 
sat  in  the  Likin  Porch  and  watched  the  lamp,  which 
someone  had  lighted,  shine  out  of  the  demon  trap 
across  the  river. 

A  huge  amphibious  monster  is  said  to  live  in  the 
Salween  river.  He  is  supposed  to  be  responsible  for 
the  deadly  plague,  and  subsists  on  men  and  mules  that 
fall  into  the  water.  In  case  none  fall,  he  conies  out 
after  them.  One  day,  while  a  Chinese  soldier  was  on 
the  high  bank,  the  monster  showed  himself.  The  sol- 
dier raised  his  gun,  took  aim,  fired  and  wounded  it 
in  the  side.  Then  he  asked  the  Shans  of  the  village 
who  were  standing  around  to  help  him  catch  the  crea- 
ture. The  Shans  refused,  saying  that  if  they  killed 
the  beast  the  malaria  fever  would  cease,  and  then  the 
Chinese  would  come  and  seize  their  happy  valley. 

"  Rather  bear  those  ills  we  have 
Than  fly  to  others  that  we  know  not  of." 

After  dark  the  coolies,  carrying  my  pukai  and 
boxes,  arrived,  and  I  managed  to  get  something  to  eat. 
My  bed  was  made  up  in  the  entry  of  the  Likin,  and  be- 
fore eight  I  was  asleep.  The  lights  of  curious  passers- 
by  woke  me  several  times,  but  I  got  "  a  little  sleep,  a 
little  slumber,  a  little  folding  of  the  hands  to  sleep" 
till  eleven,  when  the  gambling,  opium  smoking,  and 
drinking  ceased,  and  the  big  double  doors  were  locked. 
The  two  soldiers  slept  just  beside  the  door.  My  cam- 
eras, tripod,  rifle  and  other  things  were  left  beside  me, 
where  it  would  be  easy  for  someone  to  carry  them  off, 
but  nothing  was  disturbed.  Near  by  was  a  pool  of 
stagnant  water  breeding  all  sorts  of  microbes.  A 
monster  rooster  slept  next  me,  and  duly  flapped  his 
wings  four  times  and  emitted  a  crow  according  to  his 
size  at  the  proper  time.  Baneful  rats  were  charging 


262  PLAGUE 

about,  and  I  thought  Canton  perhaps  gets  the  plague 
from  this  rat  centre.  Many  temporary  grass  huts  have 
been  erected  for  the  coolies,  carpenters,  and  stone 
masons  working  on  the  bridge.  But  the  coolies  prefer 
to  cross  this  valley  before  sunrise,  which  is  the 
very  worst  part  of  the  day.  They  are  superstitious, 
and  superstition  works  disaster  in  thousands  of  ways 
to  the  Chinese. 

When  Mr.  John  McCarthy  crossed  the  Salween  in 
eighteen  hundred  and  eighty  seven,  he  was  told  a 
variety  of  stories,  many  of  which  are  still  on  tap. 
At  that  time  only  those  having  urgent  business 
ventured  to  cross.  He  was  warned  not  to  wash 
his  hands  while  in  the  lethal  valley  because  the 
flesh  might  fall  off.  The  plague  was  then  thought 
to  come  from  the  earth.  Dogs,  cats  and  small 
animals  died  first;  then  the  pigs  and  larger  animals 
went  the  same  way.  All  persons  who  remained 
after  the  animal  died  were  liable  to  become  victims. 
If  a  large  spot  appeared  on  the  human  body  near  a 
vital  organ,  the  disease  would  prove  fatal;  otherwise 
there  was  hope  of  recovery.  Houses  were  deserted, 
and  no  one  used  an  infected  article.  There  is  good 
reason  for  believing  that  the  plague  reaches  Hong 
Kong  from  this  point.  One  of  the  men  who  carried 
Mr.  McCarthy's  baggage  died  on  the  way  back,  and 
when  he  visited  the  place  most  of  the  people  had  de- 
serted the  valley  and  were  camping  on  the  hill- 
sides; many  of  the  small  hills  were  covered  with 
coffins.  The  Shans  now  cultivate  the  plain,  and  live 
there  all  the  year.  Those  who  are  born  on  the  plain 
are  not  affected  by  the  disease. 

When  ascending  the  mountain,  for  many  miles  one 
can  look  back  and  see  the  iron  suspension  bridge. 
The  view  from  Homoshu  is  one  of  the  best.  The 


Ixxxvii 


Ixxxviii 


NOXIOUS  MIST  263 

point  is  five  thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty  feet  above 
the  sea;  the  Salween  is  two  thousand  four  hundred 
and  thirty.  The  plain  below,  cut  into  rice  patches, 
and  here  and  there  a  sugar-loaf  mountain  protruding, 
the  peaceful  river,  the  mountains  and  ravines  on  the 
distant  shore,  form  a  picture  to  delight  the  lover  of 
natural  scenery. 

Homoshu  is  a  mountain  village,  the  terraces  of  which 
are  of  flat  stone,  the  houses  of  mud  bricks.  Bamboo 
pipes  conduct  pure  water  to  the  houses  and  troughs 
for  man  and  beast.  Here  is  the  home  of  the  celebrated 
Centurion  Heavenly  Happiness  Sheep.  One  of  the 
residents,  a  sort  of  mountain  seer — the  sage  was  he 
who  wore  Victorian  buttons — told  me  that  in  former 
times  the  Chinese  would  not  stop  on  this  plain,  but  now 
they  only  move  away  during  the  rainy  season,  when 
the  Likin  men  come  up  the  mountain  to  sleep.  In 
the  rainy  season  people  see  red,  blue,  and  yellow  mists 
in  the  morning  in  the  valley,  and  if  a  stranger  breathes 
these  he  will  die.  After  a  summer  rain  the  pestilent 
vapour  slowly  folds  the  beautiful  valley  in  its  deadly 
embrace.  The  water  falls  on  this  yellow  clay,  and  that 
causes  the  yellow  demon  to  exhale  this  yellow  mist. 
I  asked  Yang  why  they  did  not  locate  these  demons 
and  make  it  hot  for  them.  He  said  that  the  plain  is 
so  large  that  people  cannot  locate  them,  and  after 
I  suggested  the  planting  of  trees,  he  said  they  did 
not  know  how  to  do  this.  The  probable  facts  about 
this  sickness  are  that  the  region  is  not  specially  health- 
ful, to  begin  with,  and  the  coolies  and  others,  haunted 
by  dread,  find  themselves  tired  out,  and  drink  unboiled 
water  with  the  usual  shaky  results;  then  they  think 
they  have  swallowed  the  mist!  Some  of  my  coolies 
did  that  very  thing  and  got  fever;  all  blamed  the 
valley  for  the  bad  effects! 


264          AN  UNGRATEFUL  PATIENT 

Young  Li,  my  man,  got  sick  when  we  were  over  the 
highest  point  of  the  pass,  eight  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  above  the  sea.  He  lay  down  in  the  road, 
squirmed,  and  screamed,  "  Save  my  life,  save  my  life." 
I  gave  him  medicine,  and  the  natives  treated  him 
Chinese  fashion,  baring  the  arms,  wetting  the  skin 
inside  the  elbows,  and  pinching  him  between  the  sec- 
ond joints  of  the  first  and  second  fingers,  also  in  the 
neck,  thus  starting  a  counter-irritant.  Again  the  pain 
shook  his  frame,  and  he  cried  out  still  more  vehe- 
mently, "  Save  my  life,  save  my  life."  We  had  him 
carried  in  the  chair  while  I  walked,  and  when  the  med- 
icines I  gave  him  had  time  to  take  effect,  he  promptly 
improved.  He  also  ate  ginger  root  put  into  his  mouth 
by  one  of  his  men,  which  was  good  for  him  no  doubt. 
The  next  day  several  of  the  men  who  disregarded 
orders  not  to  drink  unboiled  water,  got  sick  and  cursed 
the  mists  in  the  valley.  When  Li  got  well  there  was 
no  expression  of  gratitude.  I  hope  he  thought  it,  for 
he  rode  and  I  walked.  Comforts,  pills,  mountain  chair 
and  good  wishes  for  him,  but  no  thanks  for  us !  The 
character  and  characters  of  the  Chinese  are  equally 
difficult  to  master.  This  region  has  been  greatly 
dreaded  in  former  years,  there  is  no  doubt,  but  it  must 
now  be  more  healthful,  or  perhaps  the  superstition  is 
giving  way  to  practical  common-sense. 

I  spent  Sunday  at  the  mountain  village  of  Taiping- 
pu,  where  there  are  Moslems  and  beef,  and  where  the 
women  rise  to  their  feet  when  a  man  passes.  The  air 
is  pure.  The  hamlet  lies  about  seven  thousand  eight 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  in  the  midst  of  wooded 
hills  and  beautiful  scenery.  There  is  certainly  less 
iniquity  in  Mohammedan  than  in  Buddhist  villages. 


A  thousand  learnings  are  not  worth  one  seeing. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

CHINESE  FAITH  IN  FOREIGN  MEDICINE  -  TENG- 
YUEH  PLAIN  -  A  LEGEND  OF  TATUNG  -  THE 
ORIGIN  OF  PEAT  -  CHINESE  BILLS  -  WANT  OF 
MISSIONS  IN  TENGYUEH  -  BLUE  FRIEND  THREE 
-  A  PEARL  OF  PRICE. 

HREE  red-coated  soldiers  bivouaced 
comfortably  on  the  porch  of  the 
official  rest  house  in  the  mountain 
village  of  Taipingpu.  They  built 
a  fire  before  our  door  and  erected 
some  split  bamboo  matting  to 
head  off  the  chilly  mountain  wind. 
By  half-past  three  in  the  morning 
we  were  off  with  torches  of  split 
cooking  Range.  bamboo  tied  in  bundles  eight  feet 

long.  The  descent  of  thirty  li  to  the  Schweli  or  golden 
water,  began  directly  we  left  the  hamlet.  Our  path  lay 
in  a  sunken  road,  full  of  the  most  surprising  curves. 
The  rain,  pouring  down  heavily,  made  uncertain  step- 
ping for  our  coolies,  as  we  passed  under  arches  formed 
by  overhanging  trees.  It  would  be  a  charming  road, 
I  have  no  doubt,  on  a  clear,  warm  day,  Our  torches 
were  exhausted  when  we  reached  Bamboo  Hamlet, 
but  Mohammedan  Horse,  the  elder  at  Taipingpu, 
had  foreseen  this,  so  we  had  to  wait  merely  to 
light  new  flambeaux.  In  three  hours  the  river  was 


266  FOREIGN  MEDICINE 

reached,  the  descent  being  gradual  as  we  passed  along 
easy  slopes.  The  approach  was  by  a  covered  wooden 
bridge  and  a  few  houses.  Reaching  the  chain  suspen- 
sion bridge,  which  had  wooden  decking  and  palisades, 
I  found  that  we  had  descended  thirty-five  hundred 
feet.  The  river  ran  clear  in  a  deep  gully,  and  soon 
became  "  rapids."  The  other  side  was  steep.  A 
half-hour's  travelling  brought  us  to  the  Olive  Grove, 
where  a  pause  was  made  for  early  rice.  No  sooner 
had  we  entered  the  inn  when  a  poor  fellow,  with  his 
hand  bloody  and  swollen,  entered  and  knelt  before 
us,  beseeching  medical  attendance.  However  the 
Chinese  may  detest  alien  things  they  are  certainly 
willing  to  "  eat  "  foreign  medicine.  Here  we  ordered 
a  fire,  made  on  the  floor,  and  dried  our  garments  piece 
by  piece,  assuming  in  the  process  various  undignified 
attitudes.  When  we  were  able  to  make  a  fresh  start, 
we  crossed  the  one  range  which  lay  between  Olive 
Grove  and  Tatung,  with  difficulty  and  adventure. 

Six  hours  later  I  suddenly  came  in  sight  of  the 
Tengyueh  Plain,  and,  passing  round  a  shoulder  of 
the  mountains,  had  my  first  view  of  the  city.  The 
plain  is  well  cultivated,  and  has  the  appearance  of 
busy  life,  a  welcome  change  after  the  barren  and 
sparsely  populated  country  through  which  for  many 
days  I  had  been  passing.  The  beautiful  plain  was 
three  miles  broad  and  several  miles  in  length,  and 
lay  a  thousand  feet  down  a  steep  grade.  Twenty-five 
villages  were  scattered  about,  and  the  town  itself,  a 
huge  oblong  diagram  surrounded  by  black  walls,  re- 
sembled a  large  enclosed  park  rather  than  an  impor- 
tant city.  At  the  bottom  of  a  difficult  road  we  began 
to  thread  our  way  through  rice  fields,  in  the  watery 
furrows  of  which  groups  of  women  were  washing  the 
vegetables  for  the  family  meal. 


A  LEGEND  OF  TATUNG  267 

Tatung  lies  eight  li  east  of  the  city.  It,  too,  has  its 
legend.  In  the  dim  past  there  was  a  family  of  farmers 
living  there,  one  of  whom,  acting  under  a  powerful 
emotion,  married  a  wife  by  whom  he  had  five  sons. 
The  first  had  a  face  of  fiery  red,  and  as  soon  as  born 
could  speak,  and  act  like  a  grown-up  man.  He  straight- 
way began  to  cut  up  capers,  and  entering  the  sacred 
room,  climbed  up  and  sat  down  on  the  ancestral  altar. 
The  father  said,  "  Hello,  this  looks  uncanny,"  and 
forthwith  killed  him  writh  a  garden  hoe.  The  second 
son  was  born  with  a  face  of  grassy  green.  As  he  also 
arrived  talking,  and  sat  on  the  sacred  ancestral  altar, 
the  father  whacked  him  over  his  green  skull  with  the 
same  instrument  and  with  the  same  result.  The 
third  son  had  a  mottled  face,  and  he  likewise  ventured 
to  climb  on  the  altar,  and  in  consequence  made  his 
exit  by  the  garden  hoe  route.  Each  time  one  of  the 
boys  was  killed,  some  of  his  colour  remained  on  the 
wood  of  the  hoe,  so  that  the  handle  must  have  resem- 
bled a  painter's  trial  board.  The  fourth  son  was  as 
black  as  unmined  coal,  and  was  also  finished  in  the 
same  handy  way.  The  fifth  son  was  white  and  said, 
"  Ah !  I  have  come  to  be  Emperor.  Where  are  my 
four  genii  ! "  The  mother  gave  the  information  that 
the  father  had  killed  them.  "  Ah,"  said  the  son,  "  I 
have  no  one  to  look  after  me/'  and  he  died  of  Chi, 
anger.  There  was  in  those  early  days  as  now  a  grove 
of  bamboo  around  the  place,  and  every  bamboo 
promptly  split,  and  out  of  each  joint  came  armed  men, 
horse  soldiers,  foot  soldiers,  and  soldiers  with  lances 
and  bows  and  arrows — but  none  with  Winchesters. 
There  were  a  thousand  tens  of  them,  and  when  they 
heard  that  the  fifth  son,  the  Emperor,  was  dead,  they 
all  conveniently  died  too, 

"  doomed  to  go  in  company  with  pain 
And  fear  and  bloodshed,  miserable  train !  " 


268  THE  ORIGIN  OF  PEAT 

The  family,  seeing  what  they  had  done,  were  deeply 
stricken  with  grief,  and  raised  up  a  temple  to  the  Son 
of  Heaven,  which  remains  to  this  day  and  renders 
any  doubt  of  this  story  impossible.  Shade  of  Cadmus 
and  the  Dragon's  Teeth ! 

My  whole  caravan,  moving  briskly,  passed  under 
the  arch  erected  to  the  memory  of  virtuous  widows, 
entered  the  city  by  the  South  Gate,  and,  turning  a 
corner  to  the  left,  marched  between  a  double  row  of 
monster  umbrellas,  and  to  the  Imperial  Chinese 
Customs.  My  men  cheerfully  passed  along  the  busy 
South  Gate  Street,  where  umbrellas  shaded  small 
assortments  of  little  articles,  prominent  among  them 
being  Japanese  matches,  American  and  English 
models,  boxes,  and  trinkets  and  penknives  "  made 
in  Germany."  We  hauled  up  in  front  of  the  yellow 
dragon  flag  flying  from  a  pole,  the  height  out  of  all 
proportion  to  the  size  of  the  Imperial  banner.  Here 
I  was  cordially  greeted  by  the  staff,  consisting  of  four 
Britishers,  who  informed  me  that  rooms  were  prepared 
for  my  convenience  in  the  British  Consulate,  which 
I  reached  by  turning  down  So-So  Street.  These  were 
pleasant  quarters  after  the  miserable  native  inns  I 
had  been  enduring. 

The  Consul  had  just  left,  having  been  ordered  to 
Canton,  but  the  kind  Indian,  Doctor  Sircar,  with  a 
Sikh  soldier,  who  always  gave  the  military  salute,  was 
in  charge.  There  were  also  a  Chinaman,  a  goat,  a 
pony  and  two  dogs.  The  consulate  was  a  native  two- 
storey  building  with  an  enclosure.  A  bright  charcoal 
fire  was  soon  burning  on  the  brazier.  I  had  rather 
expected  peat,  for,  crossing  the  plain,  I  had  seen  the 
people  digging  it  out  in  a  way  which  reminded 
me  of  far-off  Shetland.  I  asked  a  Chinaman  to 
explain  the  origin  of  peat  on  the  Tengyueh  Plain, 


Ixxxix 


TENGYUEH  269 

which  he  did  in  the  following  language : — "Peat  came 
from  years  and  years  ago,  before  they  divided  time 
up,  and  when  the  fire,  wind  and  water  were  all  mixed 
up  and  everything  else  was  mixed  up.  The  peat  was 
also  part  of  the  general  mix  up.  When  things  settled 
down  a  bit  the  peat  stayed  there  !  "  This  being  per- 
fectly satisfactory  to  himself,  there  was  no  need  for 
further  explanation. 

Roughly  speaking  the  City  of  Tengyueh  is  about  two 
li  square,  not  exactly  two  li  and  not  exactly  square, 
with  a  considerably  diminished  population  after  the 
destructive  Mohammedan  rebellion,  and  its  attendant 
massacres  and  general  ruination.  The  number  of  peo- 
ple living  within  the  city  wall  is  not  above  fifteen 
thousand.  The  next  day  the  market  was  held,  and 
I  saw  the  numerous  vendors  under  their  umbrellas 
in  all  their  glory  with  foreign  nails,  knives,  and  piece 
goods  from  Manchester  for  sale.  All  this  business  is 
carried  on  without  reference  to  clocks  or  watches.  I 
asked  the  Commissioner  of  Customs,  Montgomery,  to 
give  me  the  sundial  time  that  I  might  set  my  watch. 
This  he  did.  I  happened  to  look  at  the  sundial  the 
next  day  and  found  that  the  time  was  very  different 
from  that  of  the  day  before !  Maybe  the  sundial  was 
not  level,  'still  it  did  well  enough  out  there. 

There  are  fourteen  telegraph  offices  in  the  Province 
of  Yunnan,  and  eight  hundred  private  telegrams 
passed  through  Tengyueh  last  year.  China  has  built 
telegraph  lines  more  rapidly  than  any  other  country, 
although  slow  to  begin.  Away  out  in  this  western 
country  money  can  be  wired  from  Shanghai!  The 
Imperial  Post  Office  has  been  recently  opened  with 
an  average  of  two  or  three  letters  a  week,  the 
people  who  write  many  letters  still  preferring  the  old 
courier  system,  and  there  is  much  to  be  said  in  its 


270  FOREIGN  DEVILS 

favour.  It  is  a  nice  little  custom  of  the  Chinese  when 
writing  a  dun  or  bill  letter  to  place  on  the  outside  of  the 
envelope  "  Peaceful  Family  Letter ;"  we  write  "  Dear 
Sir  !  "  There  are  but  few  temples  in  the  city,  the  prin- 
cipal one  being  to  the  god  of  Riches.  It  has  splendid 
halls  and  pavilions.  Carpenters  were  at  work  putting 
it  in  perfect  repair.  On  the  surrounding  mountains 
there  are  other  temples  perched  in  picturesque,  but 
very  inaccessible,  spots,  which  show  up  well  as  features 
of  the  scenery.  There  are  also  pagodas  in  strategic 
positions,  piercing  the  sky  like  huge  pencils.  These 
do  sentinel  duty  for  prosperity. 

The  city  and  plain  lie  in  the  midst  of  a  region  which 
bears  evidences  both  of  ancient  and  modern  volcanic 
action.  The  markets  of  the  city  have  for  sale  edible 
woodcocks,  grass  pheasants,  and  other  birds  found 
on  the  plain.  A  year  ago  foreigners  had  stones 
thrown  at  them  in  Tengyueh,  and  people  were  very 
rude;  but  all  was  peaceful  at  the  time  of  which  I 
write,  and  instead  of  hearing  "  foreign  hobgoblin," 
the  Chinese  never  gave  strangers  the  dignified 
appellation  of  "  foreign  devil ;"  it  was  "  foreign  gen- 
tleman." Even  if  foreigners  are  called  "  devils,"  they 
should  not  get  over-excited  about  it,  for  the  Chinese 
call  their  children  "  devils  " — and  the  term  is  not 
absolutely  unknown  even  in  the  land  of  the  free  and 
the  home  of  the  brave. 

The  city  boasts  two  Yamens,  the  military  and  the 
civil.  In  the  latter  I  called  on  the  Sub-prefect,  a  very 
courteous  and  comfortable-looking  Celestial  who  is 
fast  becoming  civilized  and  modernized.  I  had  con- 
stant proof  of  this,  because  he  invited  me  to  drink 
champagne  or  some  other  infernal  civilized  concoction. 
Mr.  Leaf,  the  Sub-prefect,  had  a  very  luminous  smile 
that  would  not  come  off;  I  believe  if  the  rest  of  him 


PIGS  AND  STONES  271 


melted  away,  the  luminous  smile,  like  that  of  the 
Cheshire  cat,  would  still  be  there.  After  considerable 
conversation  which  was  highly  enjoyable,  and  during 
which  nothing  was  said,  I  passed  out  into  the  moon- 
light to  the  dining  hall  of  Commissioner  Montgomery, 
where  a  ten-course  dinner  was  artistically  spread. 
Here  I  found  a  present  from  S.  P.  Leaf  consisting  of 
two  ducks,  two  chickens,  seventy  eggs,  and  a  hundred 
sponge  cakes.  The  luminous  smile  was  deeper  than 
the  skin. 

Near  the  city  is  the  beautiful  waterfall,  "  Tumbling 
Water,"  Tishui  Ho.  Many  years  ago  a  bachelor 
named  Lo  Yin  thought  that  the  waterfall  was  not  a 
good  thing  to  have  and  that  it  should  be  levelled  up  so 
as  to  have  an  even  flow. 

Now,  Lo  Yin  was  a  bit  of  a  sorcerer,  so  he  deter- 
mined to  go  there  by  night  and  fill  it  up.  He  took 
magic  earth  in  his  big  bachelor  sleeves,  and  sprinkled 
it  on  the  water,  and  by  the  silver  light  of  the  moon 
he  chanted  some  quaint  and  curious  incantations,  and 
delivered  into  space  such  speeches  as  would  perfectly 
fit  the  mouth  of  the  necromancer,  magician,  or  sooth- 
sayer. He  was  no  geomancer,  however,  for  he  did 
not  write  characters  on  the  ground.  On  the  hill  op- 
posite there  were  a  great  number  of  stones,  and  he 
began  turning  them  into  pigs,  and  the  whole  flock 
came  toward  him;  when  they  reached  the  river 
he  would  turn  them  into  stones  and  so  fill  the  stream 
up.  The  Kuan  Yin  Buddha  got  wind  of  this,  and 
knowing  that  the  stoppage  of  the  waterfall  meant  dis- 
aster in  the  plain,  she  changed  herself  into  a  beautiful 
girl  and  gracefully  approached  the  bachelor  Lo  Yin. 
He  asked  her,  "  Have  you  seen  any  pigs  on  the  way  ?  " 
"  No/'  she  said,  "  they  are  all  stones."  This,  in  some 
way,  broke  the  spell.  So  he  turned  around  in  anger, 


272  BLUE  FRIEND  THREE 

and  finding  no  pigs  determined  to  take  revenge  on 
the  girl,  but  she  had  vanished  and  he  found  nothing 
but  thin  air.  The  water  still  falls. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  there  are  no  missionaries 
in  Tengyueh,  a  fact  which  makes  it  a  difficult  place 
for  unripe  travellers.  It  would,  however,  prove  a 
good  centre,  for  medical  missionaries  especially.  Per- 
plexing problems  would,  no  doubt,  present  themselves 
for  solution,  but  the  opportunities  for  prosperous  work 
here  are  encouraging.  The  natives  of  Yunnan  are 
notorious  for  laziness,  a  characteristic  which  the 
missionary  would  have  to  expect.  There  is  an  evident 
movement  of  the  overplus  of  population  in  Szechuen 
towards  these  sparsely  settled  districts  of  Yunnan. 
This  puts  more  life  into  things.  Five  strategic  points 
are  now  occupied  by  missionaries  in  North  Yunnan. 
The  occupation  of  Tengyueh  would  open  a  still  wider 
field  for  extended  missionary  operations. 

Blue  Friend  Three  is  the  right-hand  man  of  the 
Nantien  Sawbwa,  a  term  for  the  chiefs  of  the  Shans 
who  rule  for  the  British  and  the  Chinese.  Sawbwa 
is  a  Burmese  word,  meaning  the  Shan,  and  signifies 
"  hereditary  prince."  Blue  Friend  Three  had  passed 
the  bachelor's  degrees  and  was  thirty-eight  years  of 
age,  being  born  in  the  seventh  sun  of  the  tenth  moon 
of  the  year  of  the  Cow.  He  was  cheery  and  clean 
shaved,  and  displayed  a  fairly  accurate  knowledge 
of  the  history  of  Western  nations.  The  Nantien 
Sawbwa  rules  over  a  territory  two  hundred  li  by  one 
hundred  and  twenty.  There  are  seven  Sawbwas 
around  Tengyueh,  and  the  Nantien  has  the  right  of 
veto  over  the  others.  "  Eight  years  ago  there  was  a 
member  of  your  honourable  country  who  came  through 
here  on  a  bike,  and  I  entertained  him,"  said  Blue 
Friend  Three.  (This  was  probably  Frank  Lenz,  who 


SOME  ANCIENT  HISTORY  273 

was  afterwards  shot  by  brigands  in  Persia.)  "  He  rode 
into  the  Yamen  on  his  bicycle  and  wanted  to  teach 
me  to  ride,  but  the  attempt  was  unsuccessful/'  Blue 
Friend  Three  lighted  a  cigarette  and  went  on  showing 
up  his  knowledge,  of  which  he  was  proud.  He  read 
last  year  how  a  madman  shot  the  President  of  the 
United  States  of  America,  holding  him  with  one  hand 
while  he  shot  him  with  the  other.  He  then  asked 
whether  the  North  and  South  did  not  have  a  fight  over 
some  black  slaves  about  sixty  years  ago.  Strangely 
enough,  he  also  asked  if  America  did  not  have  a  cen- 
tennial celebration  of  some  kind  in  the  second  year 
of  the  Chinese  Emperor  Kwang  Hsu  to  celebrate  the 
anniversary  of  Washington  becoming  President.  The 
light  is  beginning  to  shine  in  Yunnan.  Nam  et  ipsa 
scientia  potestas  est. 

Blue  Friend  Three  gave  me  a  brief  history  of  the  city 
of  Tengyueh.  "  Before  the  Chinese  came  there  the 
country  belonged  to  people  principally  Shans,  who 
were  ruled  by  Prince  Ssu.  They  had  been  there  for 
hundreds  of  years,  and  were  not  a  belligerent  race. 
But  when  the  Chinese  came,  they  taught  them  to 
fight,  and  the  Principality  was  turned  into  seven 
Sawbwas.  This  place  was  made  a  city  and  the  wall 
built  in  the  Ming  Dynasty.  There  is  none  of  the  God- 
dess of  Mercy  business  about  here  ! "  So  spake  with 
pride  the  Prime  Minister  of  the  Shans.  "  Six  hundred 
years  before  the  Ming  Dynasty  there  were  wild  men 
living  where  Tengyueh  now  stands,  and  they  were 
beaten  in  war  by  the  Shans.  When  the  latter  were 
there,  they  lived  in  straw  huts  and  tilled  the  soil. 
They  burned  timber  and  scattered  the  ashes  over  the 
ground  up  the  mountain  side  to  fertilize  their  rice 
fields.  The  Mohammedans  came  to  Yunnan  Fu,  Tali- 
fu,  and  Tengyueh  to  trade,  and  afterwards  rebelled. 


274  A  TALE  OF  DRA'GONS 

There  is  nothing  legendary  about  the  business,  they 
simply  rose  up  and  cut  off  the  people's  heads."  This 
effort  of  Blue  Friend  required  two  cigarettes  and 
seemed  to  warm  him  up.  The  Honourable  S.  C. 
Napier,  son  of  the  great  general,  interpreted  for  me. 
When  I  asked  the  Prime  Minister  of  the  Shans  to  tell 
me  something  in  the  way  of  a  local  legend,  he  hesitated, 
but  at  last  said  such  things  were  only  believed  by  the 
stupid  people.  I  replied  that,  as  these  are  in  the 
majority,  what  they  consider  true  is  interesting  to  the 
visitor  and  student. 

Tengyueh  is  surrounded  by  lofty  and  delightful 
mountains.  One  morning,  after  a  night  of  rain,  I 
came  out  of  the  Consulate  and  a  hill  not  above  fifteen 
li  away  was  covered  with  snow.  When  the  sun  was 
well  up,  I  went  to  find  a  suitable  place  to  photograph 
it,  and  almost  all  the  snow  had  melted.  But  there 
are  heights  of  many  thousand  feet  above  the  plain 
covered  with  perpetual  snow.  I  give  a  mountain 
legend  related  by  the  Sawbwa's  right-hand  man,  and 
translated  by  Mr.  Napier,  who  slyly  remarked,  "  The 
following  story  is  perfectly  true;  not  as  to  fact,  but 
as  to  legendary  explanations  of  a  tremendous  natural 
disturbance;  and  it  is  useful  as  showing  the  present 
willingness  of  the  native  mind  to  accept  and  credit 
ludicrous  stories  and  make  no  further  inquiries." 

The  tale  is  of  two  dragons,  who  played  ping-pong  on 
the  Tengyueh  mountains. 

"Many  a  tale 

Tradition  round  the  mountains  hung 
And  many  a  legend,  peopling  the  dark  woods, 
Nourishing  imagination  in  her  growth." 

Fifty  years  ago  a  flood  swept  down  the  Tengyueh 
valley,  which  is  explained  to  the  entire  satisfaction 
of  the  people  in  this  way :  In  the  west,  many  li  from 


xcii 


THE  LOST  PEARL  275 

the  city,  is  a  mountain  where  two  dragons  lived.  As 
usual  with  dragons,  they  played  ball  with  a  luminous 
pearl.  Near  Tangyueh,  lived  two  brothers  who  kept 
a  medicine  shop.  On  the  Dragon  Mountain  they  col- 
lected hwang  lien,  a  bitter  herb  or  root,  to  make 
a  cooling  medicine.  The  elder  brother  stayed  at  home, 
while  the  younger  went  up  the  mountain  to  gather 
hwang  lien.  Now,  the  two  dragons  were  playing 
with  the  pearl,  and  one  of  them,  a  little  bit  careless, 
dropped  the  pearl,  which  rolled  down  the  mountain 
and  caught  in  a  small  ravine  where  the  brother  was 
gathering  the  precious  hwang  lien.  He  picked  it  up 
and  took  it  home.  Its  brilliancy  so  filled  the  whole 
house  that  he  could  not  hide  the  treasure.  So  he  dug 
a  hole  in  the  ground  outside,  two  feet  deep,  and  buried 
it,  thinking  that  none  of  the  village  folk  would  know 
about  it.  Meanwhile,  the  elder  brother  who  had  been 
out  to  tiffin,  returned  and  found  to  his  astonishment 
the  whole  house  full  of  light,  though  no  lamps  had  been 
lighted,  and  outside  the  darkness  was  dense.  Tracing 
the  hiding  place  by  the  rays  of  light,  he  dug  in  the 
ground  and  found  the  magnificent  magic  pearl. 
"  Hello,"  said  he,  "  A  dragon  pearl,  and  I  was  never 
told  anything  about  it."  Much  incensed  at  his  brother's 
secretiveness,  he  took  the  pearl  and  wrapping  it  up  in 
several  folds  of  cloth,  he  stowed  it  away  in  the  cup- 
board. When  the  younger  brother  came  back  and  went 
to  bed,  the  older  brother  got  a  log  of  firewood  and 
banged  the  poor  fellow  to  death  while  he  was  asleep, 
and  buried  him  in  the  garden. 

Meanwhile  the  two  dragons  came  down  the  moun- 
tain to  look  for  the  precious  pearl,  but  could  not  find  it. 
One  of  them  had  the  special  faculty  of  seeing  things 
in  the  distance.  He  said,  "  I  see  what  has  happened ; 
not  only  has  someone  picked  up  the  pearl  and  carried 


276  POINTING  A  MORAL 

it  away,  but  it  has  led  to  a  crime.  Is  not  this  the 
light  from  the  pearl  which  we  see  streaming  from  that 
house  ?  " 

Next  morning  two  venerable  gentlemen  walked  up 
the  street  to  the  medicine  shop.  These  were  the  two 
dragons  turned  into  old  men.  They  came  to  the  house 
and  said,  "  We  have  lost  a  pearl  which  was,  to  us, 
exceedingly  valuable;  if  you  give  it  to  us  we  will 
reward  you  with  all  the  gold  and  silver  you  like." 
As  the  wicked  brother  denied  having  it  in  his  posses- 
sion, they  then  offered  him  anything  he  wished,  if  he 
would  only  give  up  the  pearl.  He  still  refused,  so 
they  said,  "  You  are  a  guilty  man ;  not  only  have  you 
the  pearl,  but  you  killed  your  brother."  He  chased 
them  rudely  off,  and  they  walked  out  of  the  village. 
When  they  reached  the  Shweli  River,  they  changed 
themselves  into  water  buffaloes  and  slid  into  the  river 
in  the  usual  buffalo  way.  Next  day,  rain  began  to 
fall,  and  kept  on  falling  and  the  water  became  higher 
and  higher,  not  only  because  of  the  rain,  but  on  account 
of  a  disturbance  in  the  river.  Soon  the  whole  valley 
was  swamped,  and  the  medicine  man,  with  his  pearl, 
ran  up  the  hill  for  refuge.  The  water  followed  him 
up  the  hill,  and  he  climbed  into  a  high  tree,  but  the 
water  followed  him  up  the  tree  and  drowned  him! 
But  not  till  he  had  dropped  the  pearl.  The  water  car- 
ried it  into  the  lake  where  the  buffaloes  were,  and 
they  immediately  changed  back  into  dragons  and 
returned  home  with  their  wonderful  pearl.  Then 
the  water  subsided.  Chinese  stories  nearly  always 
point  a  moral. 


When  one  puts  his  knowledge  to  the  test  he  deprecates  his  own 
deficiency.  Inexperience  is  ignorant  of  real  difficulties.— Corn- 
wow  Proverb. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

SHAN     VILLAGES NANTIEN SHANS     AND     BUR- 
MESE  A    THEATRICAL    PERFORMANCE — SHAVING 

IN       PUBLIC — MURDER       OF       MR.       MARGARY A 

CENTRE     OF      GAMBLING BURYING     A      SPIRIT 

LEAVES  FROM  A  DIARY. 

O  traveller,  making  this  great 
journey  from  Shanghai  up  the 
Yangtze  to  Chungking  and 
overland  to  Bhamo,  will  ever 
forget  the  ride  through  the 
Shan  States  if  he  stops  in  the 
same  buildings  over  night  as  I 
did.  The  varieties  of  abodes 

Spinning  Thread.  ^    ^    memory        A§      l    wag 

leaving  Tengyueh  in  the  doubtful  light  of  the  morn- 
ing, the  South  Gate  was  opened  by  special  orders. 
Turning  to  the  west,  the  road  lay  over  rolling  clay  hills 
covered  with  coarse,  dry  grass.  Numerous  Shan 
villages  were  to  be  seen  from  the  road,  and  on  rising 
ground  in  the  valley  a  new  temple  was  being  built. 
One  of  my  coolies  carried  the  two  live  ducks  sent  as  a 
present  by  the  Sub-Prefect  of  Tengyueh,  and,  in  order 
to  make  them  more  comfortable,  he  wove  a  straw 
stirrup  to  go  lengthways  on  the  breast  of  each  bird. 


278  SHAN  VILLAGES 

He  must  have  been  a  kind-hearted  coolie,  for  he  car- 
ried them  horizontally  instead  of  perpendicularly  by 
the  legs,  although  it  is  less  cruel  to  carry  ducks  by  the 
legs  than  chickens,  because  ducks  often  stand  on  their 
heads  when  rooting  for  grub  in  the  water,  and  are 
somewhat  accustomed  to  the  inverted  position. 

The  Shan  villages  on  the  plain,  each  surrounded  by 
a  low  mud  wall  and  bamboo  grove,  gave  variety  to 
the  general  monotony.  About  sixty  li  from  Tengyueh, 
near  a  village,  I  crossed  two  streams  of  very  warm 
water,  and  I  saw  steam  issuing  out  of  a  rock.  Fire 
is  very  near  the  surface  of  the  earth  here.  My  men 
got  frightened,  for  sickness  is  said  to  attack  those 
who  dare  cross  these  thermal  plains.  They  were  told 
that  within  the  last  few  weeks  out  of  a  caravan  of 
sixteen  people,  four  had  died  of  malarial  fever.  So 
far  as  I  could  judge,  at  this  season  of  the  year  the  re- 
gion is  perfectly  healthful.  Near  the  Dragon  Escort 
Barrier  I  photographed  the  remains  of  a  stone  bridge 
across  a  part  of  the  plain  which  is  under  water  in  the 
summer.  The  way  is  constructed  of  long  flat  stones, 
with  similar  stones  on  end  for  piers  and  balustrades. 
A  part  of  the  bridge  had  been  carried  away  by  the 
floods.  The  Chinese  proverb  that  the  highways  are 
"  good  for  ten  years  and  bad  for  ten  thousand,"  is 
true.  My  men  had  to  wade  across  the  stream  which 
at  this  time  of  the  year  is  not  over  thirty  feet  wide.  In 
summer  it  is  hundreds  of  feet  across. 

As  soon  as  we  had  passed  through  Tso  Yin,  an  in- 
trenched city  which  is  generally  considered  the  Chinese 
part  of  Nantien,  we  went  five  li  further  on  to  the 
Shan  Sawbwa's  Yamen  in  the  midst  of  the  capital 
of  the  Shans,  Nantien.  The  entrance  to  the  Yamen 
is  off  the  main  street,  beside  a  pool  of  stagnant  water 
and  a  hitching  post  for  donkeys  and  buffaloes.  The 


THE  CHINAMAN'S  SMILE  279 

Yamen  contains  a  remarkable  assortment  of  war 
implements,  useful  only  for  decorative  purposes,  on 
each  side  of  the  first  doors.  The  Chinese  call  the 
Shans  "White  Barbarians"  (Peh  I).  They  are  a 
mixed  people.  Their  proper  name  is  Tai,  and  they 
show  great  appreciation  of  the  person  who  employs 
that  term  when  speaking  of  them.  The  Shans  have 
been  divided  between  the  Chinese  and  British,  the 
former  being  in  seven  clans  or  principalities,  of  which 
the  Saw'bwa  Tao  is  the  head  chief.  Outside  the  West 
Gate  is  a  Shan  temple  unlike  any  I  saw  in  China. 
Containing  but  one  idol,  it  resembles  the  sacred  houses 
of  the  Burmese,  but  it  differs  in  this  that  the  Burmese 
temples  have  their  one  god  Gaudama,  represented  in 
many  different  postures.  The  other  objects  of  interest 
in  the  Nantien  temple  are  votive  offerings,  artificial 
flowers,  lamps  and  streamers,  exactly  as  in  the  temples 
of  Burma.  Opposite  the  temple  is  a  Burmese  pagoda, 
a  pattern  of  the  celebrated  one  at  Rangoon,  but  it 
contains  no  idol.  The  original  worship  of  the  Shans 
was  identical  with  that  of  the  Burmese — pure  Budd- 
hism— and  not  mixed  with  hero-worship  as  in  China. 
In  the  next  enclosure  is  a  Chinese  temple  containing 
numerous  images.  A  Shan  told  me  that  in  order  not 
to  arouse  the  animosity  of  their  conquerors,  the  Chi- 
nese, they  worship  in  the  temple  of  the  victors  as  well 
as  in  their  own!  In  the  early  dusk  of  the  evening 
there  came  from  the  private  court  of  the  Yamen  more 
real  hearty  children's  laughter  than  I  ever  heard  in 
China.  Maybe  the  Shans  are  a  jolly  people.  The  voice 
of  mirth  I  have  not  often  heard  in  China,  but  the 
Chinaman's  smile  is  close  to  the  surface,  and  is  what 
Dickens  describes  as  "  one  vast  substantial  smile." 

The  next  morning  I  breakfasted  on  four  cold  eggs, 
wet  rice,  and  hot  water,  and  left  the  Sawbwa's  Yamen 


280  MEN  AND  MANNERS 

early.  It  is  the  best  place  in  the  village  for  a  traveller 
to  stop  at.  The  inns  are  small  and  the  live  stock  active. 
This  was  proved  by  the  number  of  my  coolies  I  saw 
with  their  upper  garments  open  on  the  hunt  for  small 
game.  At  early  rice,  served  in  a  hamlet  of  four  bam- 
boo huts,  we  ate  one  of  the  ducks  brought  from  Teng- 
yueh.  A  member  of  our  party,  remembering  how  it 
had  been  carried,  remarked,  "  I  guess  it  is  glad  it  is 
dead."  My  secretary  discussed  the  tail  of  a  rooster 
and  suggested  that  it  did  not  have  the  proper  concen- 
tric and  eccentric  curves.  This  disquisition  on  an  or- 
dinary barnyard  fowl,  without  any  reference  or  local 
application  to  this  great  journey,  constrained  me  to  say, 
"  Well,  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  ?  "  The 
rice  was  served  very  white  and  nice ;  indeed,  the  Shans 
know  how  to  select  and  raise  the  best  crops.  Fragrant 
honeysuckles,  singing  birds,  and  pleasing  landscapes 
delighted  the  senses.  When  my  mind  was  full  of 
"  sich  like,"  a  fellow  carrying  two  new  wooden  cup- 
boards left  the  inn  refusing  to  pay  his  score,  but 
promising  to  settle  on  his  return  journey.  The 
bound-footed  landlady  called  him  back  in  vain,  and 
off  he  went.  She  was  afraid  to  be  too  vehement  lest 
the  man's  relatives  should  boycott  her  shop.  Five 
hours  out  of  the  Sawbwa's  Yamen  we  entered  the 
valley  of  the  Taying.  This  river  flows  through  a 
narrow  channel  at  the  north  side  of  its  summer  bed, 
but  was  then  as  dry  as  the  Sahara.  The  loose  sand 
reached  from  base  to  base  of  the  mountains  on  either 
side,  and  reminded  me  of  the  great  desert  near  the 
Pyramids  of  Gizeh.  A  red-coated  soldier  carrying 
the  rifle  had  his  right  trouser  leg  pulled  up  to  the  hilt 
most  of  the  time,  trying  to  locate  a  flee.  Such  a  per- 
formance is  not  considered  out  of  form  in  this  part 
of  the  world.  People  have  not  been  squeezed  by  the 


xciii 


xciv 


REPULSIVE  WOMEN  281 

straight  jacket  of  excessive  propriety.  They  chew 
betel.  The  uncivilized  and  even  savage  custom  of 
chewing  this  nut  is  not  as  vulgar  and  nasty  as  the 
free  use  of  tobacco  by  highly-civilized  moderns.  These 
Shan  heroes  are  nice,  spry,  intelligent-looking  fellows. 
Their  women  wear  monster  turbans  made  of  black 
cloth,  and  bright  colours  about  their  ankles,  with  teeth 
ash  black,  as  is  their  headgear.  We  have  seen  many 
groups  of  these  females. 

Soon  after  noon  we  arrived  at  Kiucheng,  the  Chi- 
nese name  meaning  "  Old  City."  The  Shan  name  is 
Kang  Ai.  This  proved  to  be  a  hot  spot,  and  we  were 
dust-covered  and  hungry.  Celebrated  visitors  usually 
stop  in  an  old  Yamen.  Needless  to  say  we  stopped 
there!  A  thousand  families  have  homes  there.  The 
main  street  contains  a  double  row  of  booths  and  most 
of  the  business  seems  to  be  done  under  them.  Many 
Kachins — wild  men  of  the  mountains — who  had  car- 
ried wood  from  the  highlands,  were  selling  it  and 
making  little  purchases.  I  passed  a  small  but  pretty 
mountain  girl  who  had  come  a  long  way  with  a  basket 
of  wood  on  her  back,  but  all  day  had  failed  to  sell  it, 
and  at  night  was  starting  to  trudge  back  to  the  moun- 
tains with  the  burdens.  Some  of  the  women  were  re- 
pulsive-looking, with  great  mops  of  uncombed  hair, 
and  faces  washed  in  butter,  or  a  similar  article,  lazily 
lolling  about  looking  at  foreign  articles  for  sale. 

A  performance  in  the  theatrical  department  of  the 
god  of  Riches  was  in  full  blast.  The  stage  was  ar- 
ranged so  that  the  idol  could  see  what  was  going  on. 
These  theatricals  are  said  to  be  provided  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  idols,  and  are  free  to  the  public.  A  wealthy 
man  will,  at  times,  engage  a  troup  of  actors  as  a  proof 
of  his  devotion  to  some  deity,  and  communities  some- 
times employ  them.  The  play  frequently  continues 


282  SHAVING  IN  PUBLIC 

for  ten  or  twenty  days  almost  uninterruptedly.  After 
seeing  a  "  play  ''  for  an  hour,  one  could  hardly  think 
of  anything.  When  I  went  in,  the  crowd,  sitting  and 
standing  in  the  courtyard,  turned  their  attention  from 
two  men  dressed  as  women,  who  were  talking  in  a  high 
falsetto  voice,  to  look  at  the  strange  foreigner. 

The  old  Yamen  grounds  of  Kang  Ai,  where  I  was 
staying,  occupy  a  half-acre  and  are  enclosed  by  a  mud 
wall  three  feet  thick,  eight  feet  high,  and  roofed  with 
tiles  of  a  blue  colour  and  local  make.  At  the  corners 
are  towers,  loop-holed  and  turreted.  My  room  had 
no  doors,  but  it  possessed  a  carved  altar-piece  with  a 
marble  back.  The  Shans  are  as  full  of  curiosity  as 
the  Chinese,  if  this  place  could  be  taken  as  a  sample. 
I  wanted  to  get  shaved,  and  ordered  a  basin  of  hot 
water.  It  came,  and  was  put  on  a  high-backed,  cane- 
seated  chair.  On  the  table  an  oblong  mirror  reflected 
the  "  distinguished  face."  Fifteen  or  twenty  people 
(they  were  the  bolder  of  a  great  crowd)  ventured  into 
the  Yamen  and  sat  or  stood  eying  curiously  my  every 
movement,  and  the  minutiae  of  a  shaving  operation- 
first  the  razor  and  the  sharpening  process;  then  the 
lathering,  at  which  stage  they  concluded  I  was  being 
painted  (what  a  queer  fashion!  They  use  only  water 
when  shaving).  This  performance  they  discussed 
sotto  voce. 

"  Amazed  the  gazing  rustics  ranged  around : 
And  still  they  gazed,  and  still  the  wonder  grew." 

Then  the  removing  of  the  "  paint "  with  the  odd- 
shaped  blade  caused  excitement  and  suppressed  emo- 
tion. The  bathing  of  face  and  hands  with  carbolic 
soap  and  the  wiping  with  a  dry  towel  uncorked  the 
emotion,  but  when  I  combed  my  hair  surprise  corked 
it  down  again.  The  proceedings  reminded  me  of  a  cat 
watching  a  desirable  mouse.  The  typewriter  was  a 


MURDER  OF  AN  ENGLISHMAN       283 

perfect  marvel.  Likely  they  had  never  seen  one  in 
operation  before.  Had  they  not  reason  to  wonder? 
We  would  do  the  same,  aye,  we  did  do  the  same  only 
a  few  years  ago  when  the  machine  first  came  in.  Curi- 
osity once  even  killed  a  cat.  It  is  common  to  all  natives 
and  individuals. 

On  the  road  between  Kang  Ai  and  Manyne  I  noticed 
many  small  gardens  surrounded  by  cactus  fences. 
The  road  is  of  hard  clay,  flat  and  in  good  repair. 
Shans  skilfully  ferried  us  over  the  Taying  River  in 
a  burned-out  dugout  of  three  compartments,  with  a 
bamboo  at  each  side  to  help  float  the  rotten  thing. 
In  the  prow  of  the  boat  stood  a  punter  who  tried  to 
push  his  big  toe  into  a  hole  to  stop  the  water  from 
coming  in  and  sinking  us ;  and  but  for  the  efforts  of 
one  of  my  chair  coolies  to  bale  out,  we  must  needs 
have  got  a  soaking  or  our  accident  insurance.  Two 
hundred  cash  (ten  gold  cents)  was  the  exorbitant 
charge  for  twenty-eight  men,  chairs  and  baggage,  for 
being  ferried  over.  A  Chinaman  would  have  paid  one- 
fourth  that  amount.  When  our  luggage  was  safe  in 
a  room  at  the  Customs  at  Manwyne  I  walked  two  li 
west  to  the  spot  where  Margary  was  murdered.  Here 
is  a  stream  and  seven  banyan  trees,  one  a  monster,  the 
shadow  of  whose  foliage  measured  fifty-four  Geil  steps 
across.  Now  I  am  over  six  feet  tall  and  not  extra  long 
in  the  body! 

Under  these  trees  the  unfortunate  Englishman  was 
murdered.  It  is  said  that  he  was  invited  to  the  place 
to  look  at  some  water,  and  then  killed  by  "  Train 
bands,"  but  it  is  generally  believed  by  those  having 
a  good  knowledge  of  affairs,  that  he  was  assassinated 
by  order  of  the  Chinese  Government.  He  had  just 
gone  through  to  Burma  safely,  and  had  described  the 
kind  and  courteous  treatment  of  the  people  of  that 


284  A  CENTRE  OF  GAMBLING 

section.  He  returned  with  another  expedition  and 
perished  here.  No  board  or  stone  marks  the  spot 
where  he  was  murdered,  but  a  fine  pillar  has  been 
erected  to  his  memory  in  Shanghai  near  the  Garden 
Bridge  on  the  Bund.  Still, 

"  Can  honour's  voice  provoke  the  silent  dust, 
Or  flattery  soothe  the  dull,  cold  ear  of  death?  " 

I  saw  many  Kachins  very  gaudily  dressed,  chewing 
betel-nut.  These  wild  people  of  the  mountains  fetch  on 
their  backs  heavy  loads  of  firewood,  and  take  back 
whiskey,  or  native  Chinese  spirit,  and  opium.  Oh,  this 
curse  of  the  Kachins.  The  women  have  large  holes  in 
the  lobes  of  their  ears,  but  not  as  big  as  the  Papuans 
on  the  south  shore  of  New  Guinea  make  in  theirs.  For 
earrings  they  use  lattice-work  cylinders  of  silver,  an 
inch  in  diameter  and  six  inches  in  length.  A  brilliant 
tassel  hangs  at  the  end.  They  wear  anklets  of  rattan 
above  the  calf  of  the  leg !  These  have  as  many  as  a  hun- 
dred rings,  and  a  similar  affair  goes  round  the  waist. 

The  Customs  was  represented  by  a  short-legged, 
robust,  long-haired,  sleepless,  open-jawed  ugly  dog. 
I  do  not  know  the  condition  of  his  breath;  it  may 
have  been  sweet,  but  his  tones  were  not  sweet.  He 
was  roped  to  a  movable  object  and  tried  to  get  loose 
and  bite  the  visitor.  Were  he  to  bite  his  owners  it 
would  be  a  good  job.  Here  I  experienced  the  only 
thing  approaching  incivility  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese 
all  through  this  long  journey.  The  meanest  natives 
in  China,  so  far  as  I  know,  are  now  in  that  Customs 
House.  I  pity  the  people  who  get  into  their  clutches. 
Manwyne  is  a  gambling  centre.  The  Customs  people 
gambled  all  night.  I  left  the  next  day  at  four-thirty 
A.M.,  and  they  were  still  at  it.  There  is  a  telegraph 
office  in  Manwyne.  Some  time  ago  an  operator  took 
a  day  off  to  go  and  hunt  for  the  tiger.  He  forgot  to  fit 


SUPERNUMERARY  SOLDIERS        285 

the  plug  connecting  Bhamo  with  Tengyueh.  Conse- 
quence— line  of  no  value  for  over  a  hundred  miles, 
and  men  were  despatched  to  repair  it.  It  is  unfortu- 
nate that  the  tiger  did  not  hunt  the  operator. 

Directly  after  leaving  Manwyne  our  road  lay  near 
the  military  camp  which,  judging  by  the  barks,  was 
full  of  dogs.  They  are  better  sentinels  than  men, 
with  their  tails  on  their  heads.  Probably  the  soldiers 
were  playing  games  of  chance,  as  the  Chinese  are  a 
great  gambling  people.  The  first  part  of  the  morning 
we  passed  through  rolling  clay  hills  and  mountains. 
The  forests  teemed  with  insect  life.  In  less  tropical 
regions  the  woods  are  still;  here  a  constant  hum 
vibrates  in  the  air. 

Over  the  entire  route  from  Manwyne  to  the  Burman 
border,  about  fifteen  li  apart,  are  stockades  called 
military  camps.  One  called  Shinti  is  the  last  one  in 
use  this  side  of  the  border.  We  arrived  there  on  a 
Saturday  at  two  P.M.,  and  arranged  to  remain  over 
Sunday.  On  the  inside  of  the  stockade  stand  two 
buildings  of  bamboo,  facing  each  other,  and  across  the 
end  a  third  containing  the  honourable  guest  chamber. 
Around  these  three  buildings  is  the  stockade  proper, 
composed  of  small  tree  trunks  four  inches  in  diameter 
and  twelve  feet  long.  Parallel  to  the  stockade,  and 
about  fifteen  feet  off,  surrounding  the  whole,  is  a  fence 
of  diagonal  design  made  of  sharp-pointed  bamboo 
with  strips  fastened  in  the  middle  and  sharpened  at 
the  end,  making  an  admirable  obstruction  to  any  bare- 
legged and  bare-armed  enemy  who  might  attack.  The 
gate  is  hung  at  the  top  and  swings  outwards.  This 
stockade  was  built  thirteen  years  ago.  An  official 
named  Ma,  who  has  control  of  the  Kachin  people,  has 
his  head-quarters  here.  He  reports  three  hundred  sol- 
diers under  him,  and  several  small  stockades  among 


286        AN  EMBLEM  OF  AUTHORITY 

the  Mils  are  guarded  by  his  men  from  this  place. 
Lieutenant  Ma,  the  brother  of  the  Commander,  tried 
to  evade  my  question  as  to  how  many  men  were 
actually  in  the  stockade.  In  China  it  is  customary  for 
the  General  to  hypothecate  the  number  of  soldiers  and 
draw  pay  for  twice  as  many  as  are  on  hand.  On 
review  day,  when  the  Viceroy  comes,  there  are  plenty 
of  coolies  loafing  about  who  can  be  hired  by  the  day 
rigged  up  as  soldiers  and  dismissed  when  the  Viceroy 
leaves.  The  funny  thing  about  it  all  is  that  the  Viceroy 
knows  the  "  dodge  "  and  plays  it  on  the  Emperor.  In 
fact,  everybody  plays  it.  It  is  not  entirely  unknown 
in  America!  Other  systems  of  stealing  are  in  vogue 
everywhere  in  the  world. 

"  So,  naturalists  observe,  a  flea 
Has  smaller  fleas  that  on  him  prey; 
And  these  have  smaller  still  to  bite  'em; 
And  so  proceed  ad  infinitum." 

By  the  bed  in  my  room  there  was  a  fence-like  box 
containing  a  fish-shaped  oilcloth  contrivance  with  the 
Imperial  Dragon  painted  on  it.  This  was  the  emblem 
of  authority.  The  stockade  is  twenty-five  li  from  the 
British  boundary.  Outside,  at  the  lower  end,  an  opium 
den  drives  a  brisk  trade,  and  further  down,  not  half  a 
li,  is  the  Kachin  village  of  Lower  .Bhiti  with  ten 
houses.  The  Chief,  Kin  Ta  Mong,  called  with  ten  of 
his  henchmen  to  salute  me,  and  brought  a  present  of 
fourteen  hens'  eggs.  A  rupee  deposited  in  his  hand  as 
a  gift  greatly  pleased  him.  I  asked  a  gentleman  what 
impressed  him  most  between  Tengyueh  and  Nam- 
poung.  His  ready  reply  was  "  The  Kachin  villages 
and  the  great  houses ;  no  such  houses  anywhere  else  in 
China."  One  of  these  long,  bamboo,  grass-roofed 
houses  was  over  seventy-five  feet  long,  and  suggested 
dwellings  of  the  Lower  Fly  River  natives  in  New  Guinea. 


BURYING  A  SPIRIT  287 

The  tribe  here  is  not  affected  with  goitre,  as  many 
others  are,  for  during  the  day  I  passed  through  villages 
where  it  was  painfully  plentiful. 

I  visited  Lower  Shiti.  The  nephew  of  the  big  chief 
died  six  moons  ago.  He  went  out  at  noon  to  look  at 
the  bamboo  along  the  road  and  on  the  way  met  a  de- 
mon which  gave  him  a  fatal  disease.  Twelve  days 
later  he  died  and  was  buried  four  li  below  the  house  in 
a  coffin  made  of  the  trunk  of  a  tree  hollowed  out, 
the  body  being  encased  and  a  board  fastened  on  the 
end.  Then  came  a  season  of  mourning  and  wailing 
and  great  lamentations.  Although  he  died  so  long 
ago,  that  day  they  were  burying  his  spirit.  The 
ceremony  of  escorting  the  spirit  to  the  grave  oc- 
cupies three  days,  and  consists  of  sword-drills, 
dances  and  slashing  right  and  left  with  large 
knives.  Guns  are  fired  to  close  the  way  for  any  evil 
spirit  that  might  be  about.  There  were  no  signs  of 
grief  or  distress,  but  the  proceeding  was  characterized 
by  a  strong  determination  to  convey  the  spirit  safely 
to  its  destination.  The  big  chief  wore  a  blue  cloth 
suit  with  Victoria  buttons.  His  face  was  strong, 
with  prominent  cheek  bones,  and  on  his  head  was  a 
blue  turban.  His  teeth  were  black  with  betel-nut. 
Over  his  right  shoulder  and  under  his  left  arm  was  a 
circle  of  wood  supporting  a  sword-knife  in  a  wooden 
sheath.  He  was  further  adorned  with  the  jawbone 
of  a  tiger. 

I  append  a  leaf  from  my  diary.  Monday,  March  six- 
teenth, Shiti  to  Nampoung.  I  was  up  at  three  this 
morning,  but  finally  turned  out  at  three-thirty.  Full 
moon  and  a  few  fleecy  clouds  about.  This  is  my  last 
day  in  China.  It  is  about  twenty-five  li  to  the  boundary 
line  between  China  and  Burma,  and  some  five  li 
further  to  the  official  rest-house  built  by  the  Indian 


288  A  KACHIN  VILLAGE 

Government.  The  technical  name  for  the  rest-house 
is  Dak  Bungalow.  We  had  a  tasteless  breakfast  of 
vegetables  and  rice  mixed  with  sand.  This  is  con- 
sidered good  for  sharpening  the  teeth.  We  departed 
at  five-fifty  A.M.  from  the  last  real  military  camp  in 
China,  going  out  at  the  East  Gate,  Lieutenant  Ma 
having  accompanied  us  that  far.  He  bade  us  farewell 
and  added  four  Martini-Henry  riflemen  to  our  guard 
that  we  might  safely  pass  from  the  protection  of  the 
Dragon  to  that  of  the  Lion.  Altogether  we  have 
eight  soldiers,  heroic-looking  fellows,  at  rice.  Leaving 
the  flock  of  goats,  four  geese,  the  two  ponies,  one  mule, 
two  dogs,  many  chickens,  one  tender  and  juicy, 
pigeons,  and  divers  other  inhabitants  of  the  stockade 
visible  and  invisible,  some  having  night  eyes  and  some 
having  bills  and  gimlets  (they  could  be  profitably  em- 
ployed by  the  Standard  Oil  Company),  we  wound 
round  the  stockade  with  our  backs  to  the  glow  of  the 
east  and  our  faces  to  the  western  sky.  Passed  an  opium 
den  and  divers  donkeys  and  entered  a  Kachin  village. 
The  Kachins  were  up  late  last  night  conducting  a  spirit 
to  a  grave,  and  this  morning  are  laid  up  for  repairs, 
which  they  are  making  with  the  assistance  of  rice 
whiskey.  The  kind  old  chief  came  out  to  bid  us  fare- 
well and  to  see  us  politely  out  of  his  peaceful  mountain 
hamlet. 

Six-fifteen  A.M.  Procession  halted,  photographed 
the  grave  of  the  chief's  nephew.  It  has  split  bamboo 
in  the  house  over  it  and  imitation  buffalo  horns  stuck 
on  a  post  It  is  in  a  lofty  situation,  surrounded  by 
foliage,  with  the  wind  wafting  the  odour  of  mountain 
flowers  about,  a  fit  place  for  the  repose  of  the  warrior. 
We  took  the  picture  and  silently  passed  on. 

Six-thirty  A.M.  Passing  through  another  Kachin 
village.  Bronze-coloured  girl  with  a  great  basket  on 


BRITISH  SOIL  289 

her  back  full  of  bamboo  lengths  used  as  water  buckets. 
These  Kachins,  termed  by  the  Celestials  "  The  wild 
men  of  the  hills,"  appear  to  be  thrifty  and  peace  loving. 
They  were  different  in  former  years. 

Six-forty-five  A.M.  Small  stockade.  The  Chinese 
are  confirmed  liars.  They  lie  "  from  way  back  "  and 
away  forward.  They  lie  in  all  tenses  and  at  all  times 
of  the  day  and  night.  They  lie  at  all  ages,  but  they 
lie  gracefully,  politely,  tenderly,  smilingly,  carefully, 
and  maybe  religiously  and  prayerfully,  and  they 
certainly  do  it  financially,  socially  and  funereally. 
For  a  few  taels  of  silver  a  Chinaman  will  declare 
himself  to  be  the  other  fellow,  if  the  other  fellow's 
head  is  to  be  cut  off!  No  matter!  Headless  liar! 
This  may  seem  strange,  but  he  has  ways  of  using 
money  even  though  he  must  give  up  his  life.  Ready 
money  will  not  only  give  him  help  in  this  world,  but 
also  in  the  next.  From  coolie  to  Emperor,  money 
does  the  business.  The  Kachins  fasten  curiously 
designed  charms  to  trees  whose  "  spirits "  they 
worship.  The  three  great  gipsy  clans  of  Germany 
worship  the  trees  themselves. 

Our  road  lay  along  a  spur,  and  we  gradually  de- 
scended to  the  river  Hongmu  Ho,  the  boundary  be- 
tween China  and  Burma.  A  unique  spot  is  this.  On 
the  one  side  a  few  bamboo  huts ;  on  the  other,  buildings 
roofed  with  corrugated  iron  and  sixteen  Sikh  soldiers 
doing  police  duty.  I  crossed  the  river  into  Burma  on 
the  back  of  a  coolie,  and  so  "  landed  on  British  soil." 
After  a  short  walk  on  the  bank  of  the  river  I  went  up 
to  the  British  military  camp.  There  I  found  a  telegraph 
operator  and  a  physician  who  spoke  English.  Every- 
thing was  neat,  and  suggestive  of  wise  British  rule. 
Two  hundred  feet  down  the  opposite  side  was  a  large 
comfortable  rest-house  which  was  to  be  our  quarters. 

T 


29o  RfiSUMfi 

Although  one  thousand  five  hundred  feet  up,  this  camp 
(seventy-five  men)  is  troubled  with  malarial  fever. 
The  region  abounds  in  game,  and  the  sportsman  not 
infrequently  bags  a  tiger  or  leopard. 

In  each  Government  rest-house  is  a  book  for  travel- 
lers to  sign,  and  a  framed  notice  gives  all  particulars 
for  accommodation.  When  not  occupied  by  officials, 
foreign  travellers  may  use  these  places  at  the  very 
reasonable  rate  of  one  rupee  a  day  for  each  visitor.  I 
found  these  houses  clean  and  comfortably  furnished. 
The  grounds  are  well  kept,  and  there  are  bath-rooms, 
and  servants'  quarters  detached,  cook-houses,  and 
stabling — all  this  in  marked  contrast  with  the  Chinese 
rest-houses.  Even  the  comforts  and  conveniences  for 
the  outer  man  which  Christianity  brings  ought  to  be 
enough  proof  of  its  divine  origin. 

To  recapitulate.  On  leaving  the  city  of  Tengyueh,  I 
passed  out  of  the  British  Consulate,  where  I  had  spent 
the  night.  Ninety  li  further,  at  Nantien,  the  Shan 
Sawbwa  Tao  (Knife)  placed  his  comfortable  Yamen 
at  my  disposal.  The  next  day  we  again  did  ninety  li, 
and  reaching  the  Shan  village  of  Kang  Ai,  the  proces- 
sion, after  a  tortuous  course,  wound  into  the  ample 
courtyard  of  the  old  official  residence.  We  went  one 
hundred  and  twenty  li  the  next  day  to  Manwyne,  and 
found  quarters  within  the  capacious  grounds  of  the 
Chinese  Imperial  Customs.  The  next  night,  after  mak- 
ing one  hundred  and  ten  li,  I  entered  the  Chinese 
stockade  of  Shiti  (pronounced  She  Tea).  Finally, 
thirty  li  further  on  we  came  into  pleasant  accommoda- 
tion, the  British  Rest-House,  near  the  Sepoy  military 
barracks  of  Nampoung.  We  had  crossed  the  boundary 
and  probably  for  ever  left  the  Chinese  Empire. 


A  great  man  will  not  see  a  little  man's  faults. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


MYOTHIT A     RECKLESS     COOK BHAMO,     THE 

CITY    OF    POTS — MISSIONS    IN    BHAMO BURMESE 

NATS — THE  SHANS BOUND  FOR  MANDALAY. 

Nampoung  the  coolies  had  no 
pukais,  therefore  they  were  up 
Ib  and  had  their  early  rice  before 
our  black  pot  with  rice  gruel 
made  its  appearance  at  four- 
thirty  A.M.  The  moon  was 
shining  clearly  in  a  bright  sky. 
I  had  left  Nampoung  Rest- 
House  by  daylight  and  moon- 
light mixed.  The  baggage 
went  out  through  the  "  back  door,"  which  is  a  rear  exit 
through  the  split  bamboo  fence.  The  chairs  left  at  the 
other  end  by  a  short,  steep,  zig-zag  path  up  to  a  splen- 
did road.  The  rank  vegetation  of  the  mountain  was 
being  cleared  from  the  road  two  hundred  feet  on  either 
side.  This  is  done  at  Government  expense.  Fre- 
quently I  saw  evidences  of  the  fantastic  worship  of 
the  Shans — notched  posts  and  long  poles  bearing  split 
bamboo  designs  being  the  most  common.  Near  a 
Kachin  village  we  met  whole  families  with  live  pigs 
in  baskets.  They  were  carrying  them  to  Bhamo,  two 


Sculling. 


292  HIGH  FOOD 

hundred  li  away,  to  do  a  little  trading.  Pony-loads  of 
Nga-pi,  or  rotten  fish,  otherwise  referred  to  as  "  speci- 
ally preserved,"  passed  us  going  east. 

Civilized  and  uncivilized  countries  carry  about  the 
same  proportion  of  fools  to  the  population.  The  Ger- 
mans take  Limberger  cheese,  the  Chinese  rotten  eggs, 
the  Fijian  rotten  bananas, and  the  Englishman  "  high  " 
game.  There  must  be  something  "  rotten  "  in  the 
state  of  Denmark. 

We  frequently  passed  little  groups  of  Kachins  or 
Shans  eating  by  the  roadside.  They  were  making 
their  way  back  from  Bhamo.  An  officer  in  the  British 
army  tells  me  that  the  Kachins  are  the  very  best  peo- 
ple to  travel  with  in  the  jungle.  The  Arab  proverb 
about  the  man  who  finds  good  in  everything  applies 
to  them :  "  Throw  him  into  the  river  and  he  will  rise 
with  a  fish  in  his  mouth."  On  a  short  but  steep  descent 
my  caravan  met  an  elephant  going  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection. It  belonged  to  the  Public  Works  Department. 
One  of  my  men  shouted,  in  affright,  "  That  is  two 
hundred  and  fifty,"  which  is  a  Chinese  expression  sig- 
nifying dislike.  My  coolies  who  had  been  disputing 
the  right  of  way  with  donkeys  and  ponies  promptly 
turned  aside  for  Jumbo  and  the  elephant  had  it  all  to 
himself.  The  last  coolie,  the  mischievous  one  of  the 
lot,  was  afraid  lest  the  elephant  would  put  its  trunk 
round  his  neck.  We  soon  got  into  the  woods,  where 
the  vegetation  is  luxuriant.  Out  through  the  mass 
of  foliage  came  the  sound  of  a  sweet-toned  Burmese 
bell.  I  could  see  no  village  or  pagoda  or  human  being. 
It  seemed  to  be  born  and  die  away  in  the  silence  and 
solitude  of  the  forest. 

After  crossing  a  branch  of  the  Taymg  river  five 
times,  at  ten-thirty  A.M.  I  arrived  at  the  Official  Dak 
Bungalow  on  the  edge  of  the  village  Myothit.  It 


xcviii 


RETURN  OF  THE  BODYGUARD       293 

contains  two  bedrooms  about  sixteen  feet  square,  and 
a  dining  room  as  large  as  the  two  together.  There 
are  also  two  bath  rooms.  It  is  constructed  of  teak 
with  bamboo  walls  and  roof,  and  stands  upon  twenty- 
four  large  posts,  fourteen  feet  above  the  ground. 
Light  is  admitted  through  bamboo  sides,  which  swing- 
out  so  that  everything  is  open  during  the  day.  The 
rooms  contain  looking-glasses  and  curtains,  and  bed- 
steads with  canvas  webbing  instead  of  steel  laths  or 
wire  mattress.  The  building  stands  at  the  edge  of 
the  village,  and  about  a  li  from  the  river,  in  a  com- 
pound surrounded  by  a  bamboo  fence.  The  distance 
from  Nampoung  to  Myothit  is  about  fifty  li,  and  from 
Nampoung  to  Bhamo  is  an  easy  road  of  about  thirty- 
five  miles.  In  Myothit  Dak  Bungalow  I  remained  two 
days,  resting  and  writing.  So  poor  was  Mohammed 
that  when  dying  his  wife  had  to  borrow  oil  for  the 
lamp.  We  could  borrow  no  oil,  but  purchased  some 
from  a  friendly  Celestial.  Soon  the  light  went  out, 
and  a  careful  examination  showed  that  the  oil  had 
gone  solid! 

My  men  had  behaved  admirably.  They  had  served 
me  well  and  I  paid  them  off,  distributing  some  money 
presents  besides.  Three  days  afterwards  I  saw  some 
of  them  starting  off  empty-handed  on  their  long  walk 
back  to  Tengyueh. 

On  leaving  Myothit  Bungalow,  I  passed  through 
the  village,  and  then  over  a  wooden  bridge  which  has 
to  be  replaced  each  year  after  the  floods,  crossed  the 
Ta  Ying,  and  then  over  a  plain  as  flat  as  a  plank, 
through  elephant  grass  fourteen  feet  high.  In  a  small 
thatched-roofed  booth  was  a  large  jar  containing 
drinking  water.  The  Burmese  like  to  do  "  meritorious 
works,"  and  keep  the  jar  filled  for  the  benefit  of 
travellers.  My  coolies  ate  a  double  handful  of  cold 


294  A  NARROW  ESCAPE 

boiled  rice  which  they  had  brought  with  them  in  a 
dirty  rag — having  probably  stolen  it  from  the  inn, 
where  they  stopped  the  night  before.  Soon  after  I 
suddenly  heard  the  report  of  the  rifle,  and  saw  a  large 
flock  of  black  birds  leave  the  branches  of  a  tall  tree. 
Thinking  the  secretary  had  been  taking  a  shot,  I  paid 
no  more  attention  to  the  matter,  until  coming  up 
near  our  scheming  cook  I  saw  him  hand  the  rifle  to 
one  of  the  coolies.  On  closer  inspection  I  saw  that 
the  trigger  was  pulled  clear  back,  and  that  the  man 
was  carrying  the  gun  in  such  a  way  that  it  was  in 
danger  of  going  off  at  any  moment  and  killing  some 
of  us.  I  jumped  out  of  my  chair,  took  it  carefully 
from  his  shoulder,  and  found  that  the  cook,  one  of  the 
greatest  rascals  I  have  met  in  China,  had  fired  the 
shot  and  reset  the  gun.  I  at  once  removed  the  cart- 
ridge, put  the  trigger  down,  and  handed  the  gun  to 
the  secretary.  Thus  at  the  very  end  of  a  successful 
journey  across  the  great  Empire  of  China,  one  of  us 
had  a  narrow  escape  from  being  ignominiously  shot! 
In  travelling  in  China  or  in  any  other  part  of  the  world, 
I  have  learned  to  take  nothing  for  granted,  but  to  be 
as  watchful  and  alert  at  the  last  hour  of  the  journey 
as  at  the  first. 

"  For  some  must  watch,  while  some  must  sleep, 
So  runs  the  world  away." 

The  villages  were  clean  and  well-appointed.  Outside 
Bhamo  Mr.  Selkirk  met  me,  and  we  took  a  short  cut 
by  the  barracks  of  the  military  police  and  the  military 
police  hospital.  The  finest  residences  in  Bhamo  are 
occupied  by  the  civil  and  military  officials,  some 
of  the  houses  costing  as  much  as  fifteen  thousand 
rupees.  I  was  to  be  entertained  in  the  American 
compound  at  the  east  end  of  the  city.  On  approach- 
ing my  destination;  I  crossed  a  bridge  over  an  arm  of  a 


THE  CITY  OF  POTS  295 

moderately  sized  artificial  lake.  The  region  here  had 
been  swampy  and  malarial  until  the  water  was  dammed 
and  made  into  a  lake  fifteen  feet  deep.  I  was  very 
cordially  welcomed  by  the  American  missionaries. 

At  last  on  the  afternoon  of  Friday,  March  twentieth, 
we  arrived  at  Bhamo.  I  traversed  the  entire  distance 
from  Shanghai  in  ninety-nine  days.  Without  doubt 
the  journey  across  China  is  not  the  cheapest  in  the 
world. 

Bhamo  is  a  Siamese  word,  and  means  "  The  City  of 
Pots."  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  north  of  Manda- 
lay,  and  has  a  history  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
years  old.  The  original  city  was  three  miles  to  the 
north,  where  the  Taying  runs  into  the  Irrawaddy.  It 
was  formerly  a  walled  town  and  was  ruled  by  the 
Shans.  Bhamo  has  always  been  contended  for  by  the 
Chinese  and  Burmese,  the  former  having  taken  it  four 
times.  The  desire  to  hold  it  grew  out  of  its  location,  it 
being  the  head  of  navigation.  It  is  twenty  miles  from 
the  Chinese  border.  The  population  is  about  twelve 
thousand  all  told,  within  a  radius  of  one  and  a  half 
miles  of  the  city.  The  place  is  garrisoned  by  a  Sepoy 
Regiment  one  thousand  strong,  a  mountain  battery  of 
eight  hundred,  and  four  companies  of  Britishers.  The 
men  in  the  mountain  battery  are  Sikhs,  Katans  and 
Panjabis — none  are  admitted  under  six  feet  high.  An 
under-sized  man  would  probably  not  be  physically  able 
to  serve.  Two  of  these  men  can  lift  up  a  cannon  and 
put  it  on  the  back  of  one  of  the  big  mules.  The  mili- 
tary police  number  five  hundred  Kachins  and  some 
four  hundred  Indians.  There  are  two  forts,  A  and  C, 
A  for  the  military  police  and  C  for  the  military.  Fort 
B  has  been  abandoned.  The  Chinese  are  the  largest 
traders  and  they  occupy  a  quarter  in  the  centre  of 
the  city  by  themselves.  They  deal  wholesale,  their 


296  MISSIONS  IN  BHAMO 

chief  imports  being  cotton,  piece  goods,  and  salt. 
Their  exports  are  honey,  cast-iron  cooking  pans,  hides, 
ochre,  chestnuts  and  walnuts.  There  is  a  daily 
steamer  which  connects  the  place  with  the  train  to 
Katha.  It  takes  forty-eight  hours  to  go  from  Bhamo 
to  Rangoon. 

Christianity  is  represented  in  this  city  by  several 
missions.  The  American  Baptist  has  a  mission  to  the 
Kachins  and  the  Shans,  the  China  Inland  to  the  Chi- 
nese. The  Mohammedans  have  a  mosque  and  about 
one  thousand  adherents.  Of  course,  there  are  many 
pagodas,  and  Buddhism  seems  to  be  flourishing.  The 
American  missions  are  well  housed  and  are  doing  the 
largest  work.  In  the  last  report  of  the  Baptists,  two 
hundred  Kachins  are  tabulated  as  baptized  members, 
and  in  the  eight  Christian  villages  there  are  four  hun- 
dred converts  and  their  families.  No  one  is  counted 
a  Christian  until  he  has  been  baptized.  An  Amer- 
ican who  has  spoken  Kachin  for  probably  a  quarter 
of  a  century  says,  "  I  have  never  seen  more  than  one 
Kachin  who  could  read  who  had  not  been  taught  in 
a  Baptist  school."  The  Catholics  have  five  male  mis- 
sionaries in  the  district  and  no  nuns — the  result  is 
that  they  accomplish  very  little  and  have  no  native 
church  here.  As  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn,  the 
priests  are  hard-working,  honest,  moral  men.  Their 
method  of  procedure  at  present  is  to  borrow  money 
from  the  Government  on  their  own  security,  and  loan 
it  to  the  native  farmers.  They  lived  peacefully  with 
the  Protestants  until  two  years  ago,  when,  during  the 
absence  of  a  missionary,  they  induced  the  people  of  a 
Protestant  village  to  become  Romanists.  The  Fathers 
spent  two  hundred  rupees  of  their  own  money  to  build 
a  church,  even  though  there  were  but  few  members. 
Their  scheme  finally  failed,  and  the  heathen  say  of 


BURMESE  NATS  297 

this  village  that  "  while  they  worshipped  Jesus  the  peo- 
ple prospered,  but  when  they  worshipped  the  Virgin 
Mary  it  played  out." 

There  is  no  Kachin  village  nearer  to  Bhamo  than 
Chyin  five  miles  distant.  It  is  now  a  Christian  vil- 
lage. I  attended  service  there  on  Sunday  morning 
and  the  audience  was  large  and  intelligent,  and  the 
singing  was  good.  The  Kachins  ridicule  Buddhism. 
They  say  "  Burmese  take  mud  and  mix  it  up  and  put 
like  on  it  and  fall  down  and  worship  it.  There  is  no 
merit  in  that/*  The  heathen  Kachins  however  do 
practically  the  same  thing,  when  they  wrap  a  banana 
leaf  round  a  piece  of  bamboo,  tie  it  with  rattan,  and 
call  it  a  spirit. 

Outside  every  door  there  is  an  altar  to  nature,  and 
even  a  child  would  freeze  before  he  would  take  wood 
from  the  altar  to  burn.  The  missionaries  say  that  the 
chief  obstacles  to  work  among  the  Kachins  are  whis- 
key, opium,  and  immorality.  The  women  are  very 
depraved.  However,  there  is  no  religion  to  do  away 
with.  Judson  said  that  the  Kachins  were  like  a  clean 
platter,  they  only  needed  to  be  filled  up;  but  the  Bur- 
mese were  more  like  a  vessel  which  had  earth  oil  in  it ; 
you  never  get  rid  of  the  smell  of  Buddhism.  The  Kachin 
is  most  superstitious.  He  believes  in  one  great  spirit, 
the  creator  of  all  things,  who  is  called  Kari  Ka  Sang. 
He  created  and  upholds  and  sustains  all  things,  and  is 
benevolent ;  but  he  has  withdrawn  himself  to  the  spirit 
land,  and  does  not  care  for  the  Kachins,  so  they  need 
not  concern  themselves  about  him.  They  have  the 
same  reverence  for  the  word  Kari  Ka  Sang  as  the 
Jews  have  for  Jehovah — -it  is  never  uttered  except  on 
the  most  solemn  occasions.  All  the  other  spirits  are 
malicious,  and  are  feared  by  the  Kachins,  especially 
those  of  thunder  and  lightning.  All  the  sacrifices 


298  OPIUM  BURST  HELL 

are  made  through  fear  and  gratitude.  If  the  lightning 
strike  a  tree  in  a  field  they  will  not  plant  the  field  that 
year.  They  have  earth  "  nats  "  and  heaven  "  nats." 
Nat  means  spirit,  but  is  never  used  for  a  good  spirit. 
In  addition  to  earth  and  heaven  nats,  all  the  ancestors 
become  nats  and  may  come  back  to  "  get  even  "  with 
their  descendants.  They  say  that  life  becomes  more 
and  more  difficult  as  time  goes  on,  because  there  are 
more  spirits  to  be  appeased.  The  expense  incurred  in 
making  sacrifice  to  these  nats  keeps  the  Kachins  in  a 
state  of  chronic  poverty. 

Their  priests  tell  them  that  hell  is  burst,  and  that  it 
was  burst  by  the  opium  smokers.  A  Christian  school 
boy  was  preaching  on  hell  and  was  describing  it  as  an 
awful  place,  using  the  term  Nga  Rite,  when  a  hearer 
in  the  most  serious  way  said,  "  Stop,  young  man.  Our 
priest  says  that  hell  is  burst."  The  young  man  in- 
quired, "  How  is  that  ?  "  The  old  man  replied,  "  In 
the  modern  days  of  opium  smoking,  so  many  opium 
smokers,  Chinese,  Kachins,  Shans,  have  gone  there 
that  they  have  burst  it."  "  How  did  they  burst  it  ?  " 
"  They  dried  their  plantain  leaves  on  the  sides  of  the 
burning  chattey,  which  made  it  so  hot  that  it  burst." 
It  may  be  of  interest  to  the  Indian  Government  to 
know  that  opium  smoking  has  burst  hell. 

The  Kachins  are  utilitarians,  and  never  use  the 
words  "  ought "  and  "  duty."  They  proceed  on  the 
ground  of  expediency  and  say  instead,  "  It  would  be 
well "  or  "  ill  " — that  is,  advantageous  or  disadvan- 
tageous. Missionary  Roberts  says  they  have  no  sense 
of  right  or  wrong  per  se. 

The  brilliant  and  devoted  young  American  surgeon, 
Will  C.  Griggs,  in  charge  of  the  American  Baptist 
Missionary  Union  work  for  the  Shans  at  Bhamo,  is  one 
of  the  most  energetic  and  hard-working  missionaries 


THE  SHANS  299 

I  have  seen  in  any  land.  He  teaches  and  preaches 
and  doctors  with  a  courage  and  promptness  and  devo- 
tion beyond  all  praise.  He  tells  me  that  the  Shans 
are  found  from  Bangkok  far  out  north  to  Szechuen. 
The  Siamese  are  Shans  and  call  themselves  Htai.  The 
Shans  call  themselves  Tai.  There  are  two  great  fam- 
ilies, the  Northern  and  the  Southern,  that  is,  the 
Chinese  and  the  Siamese,  but  it  is  impossible  to  tell 
how  many  millions  there  are  of  them.  In  Burma  they 
occupy  the  plains,  while  the  Kachins  live  on  the  moun- 
tains. The  Shans  got  their  alphabet  from  Burma  in 
twelve  hundred  A.D.,  but  it  was  modified  to  suit  the 
people. 

The  Shans  are  Buddhists.  This  form  of  religion 
was  introduced  into  the  country  some  seven  hundred 
years  ago,  and  has  not  yet  eradicated  the  original 
devil  worship;  in  fact,  the  woods  are  full  of  devils. 
The  Shans  never  live  in  caves.  They  are  great  trad- 
ers, and  manufacture  no  intoxicating  liquor.  No  one 
has  ever  seen  a  drunken  Shan  unless  he  has  been 
associated  with  foreigners.  There  are  a  few  diseases 
among  them — fever  and  stomach  trouble  are  the  most 
frequent.  They  look  upon  smallpox  as  Americans  look 
upon  measles.  When  Dr.  Griggs  once  went  to  a  large 
village  to  vaccinate  the  children,  he  found  only  three 
who  had  never  had  the  disease.  In  Bhamo  there  is  a 
school  for  Kachins  with  an  attendance  of  over  ninety, 
and  one  for  Shans  equally  prosperous. 

After  five  days  in  Bhamo  I  drove  two  miles  to  the 
Irrawaddy  Flotilla  Company's  wharf  and  took  a  deck 
passage  for  Katha.  I  paid  three  rupees,  seven  annas. 
My  friends,  Messrs.  W.  H.  Roberts,  J.  McCarthy,  and 
Selkirk,  came  down  to  see  me  off,  and  as  the  steamer 
cast  off  into  the  stream  they  waved  a  last  farewell. 
The  run  down  takes  seven  hours,  and  the  steamer 


300  THE  ROAD  TO  MANDALAY 

passes  through  the  beautiful  gorge  of  the  Irrawaddy. 
Katha  is  the  terminus  of  a  branch  of  the  Burma  rail- 
ways. Here  I  purchased  a  second-class  train  ticket 
for  Mandalay,  paying  eleven  rupees,  ten  annas.  We 
left  at  five-thirty  P.M.,  and  arrived  at  one  P.M.  the 
next  afternoon.  The  run  is  on  a  three  feet  three  inch 
gauge,  and  we  passed  through  country  dotted  with 
white  pagodas  and  small  neat  villages.  Soon  after 
leaving  Katha  the  train  ran  through  miles  of  bamboo 
forest. 


The  tree  which  Heaven  plants,  though  man  should  throw  it  down, 
he  cannot  eradicate  it.  The  tree  which  Heaven  casts  down,  though 
man  should  replant  it,  it  will  not  grow. — Emperor  Kienlung. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE      END      OF      THE     JOURNEY BEHEADING     A 

GOD RANGOON A    CAT    HUNT THE    MISTAKES 

OF     MISSIONARIES THE    DEVOTION     OF     MISSION- 
ARIES AND  THE   CLAIMS   OF  THEIR   CAUSE. 

^^^^INAL  preparations  are  now  the 
L»  order  of  the  day.  I  have  given 
I  '  my  oil  blanket  away,  the  one  I 
A  bought  to  keep  off  insects  in 

ft  Chinese  inns;  also  the  pukai  or 

bedding.     As  for  the  P.  T.,  it 
carried  safely  on  the  backs  of 
Grindifl?Mffl.  sundry  coolies,  but  I  have  never 

even  had  it  on  and  never  will. 
No  foreigner  should  wear  a  pigtail.  It  is  distasteful 
to  multitudes  of  Chinese  who  wear  it.  As  for  my 
Chinese  suit  of  clothes,  I  put  it  on  at  Myothit  to  have 
my  picture  taken.  And  now  I  am  writing  this  last 
chapter  on  a  steamer  in  Malacca  Straits. 

At  Mandalay,  the  most  interesting  city  in  Burma,  I 
caught  a  missionary  red-handed  in  the  act  of  behead- 
ing a  god!  It  was  the  Baptist  teacher  Davenport. 


302  BEHEADING  A  GOD 

He  had  purchased  some  land  on  which  the  god,  about 
thirteen  feet  high,  sat  in  full  possession.  A  caucus 
of  natives  and  foreigners  was  convened  and  it  was 
decided  to  close  the  career  of  the  deity,  and  utilize  the 
lot  for  less  sedentary  purposes.  A  crow-bar  seemed  the 
most  effective  way  to  close  the  business  with  despatch. 
A  coolie  brought  one,  but  no  Burman  was  iconoclastic 
enough  to  smash  a  divinity.  So  two  Indians  were 
called  in  to  assist  in  the  interesting  work.  The  Yankee 
teacher  stood  ready  with  the  iron  crow-bar  when  one 
of  the  Indians  shouted  and,  running  into  the  chapel, 
fetched  a  Bible.  When  the  American  began  the  work 
of  execution,  the  Indian,  holding  the  sacred  volume, 
between  himself  and  the  idol,  cried  out,  "  Oh,  god ! 
Oh,  god  !  "  The  moment  the  head  was  off,  how- 
ever, everybody  was  ready  to  help,  for  it  became 
Nehushtan  (ii.  Kings,  18,  4)  after  decapitation!  A 
silver  heart  was  found  inside,  containing  strips  of  solid 
gold  inscribed  with  the  sacred  characters  of  Pali;  and 
also  a  tooth  set  in  a  ring.  Whose  molar  it  was 
I  know  not,  certainly  not  Buddha's,  for  there  are 
enough  teeth  of  his  about  now  in  Asia  to  supply  a 
mighty  big  man  with  a  mighty  generous  mouth.  Any- 
way, the  tooth  is  considered  a  prophylactic  against  all 
sorts  of  uncanny  things. 

There  is  about  this  city  much  to  interest  a  student. 
At  the  foot  of  Mandalay  Hill  is  a  group  of  four  hun- 
dred pagodas.  I  did  not  count  them,  and  as  one  reliable 
party  told  me  there  were  seven  hundred  and  nineteen, 
and  another  four  hundred  and  fifty,  I  have  gone  on  an 
independent  tack,  seeing  no  reason  why  a  man  should 
not  have  a  mind  of  his  own,  and  made  a  moderate 
estimate  of  four  hundred.  Each  contains  an  upright 
alabaster  tablet  inscribed  with  some  of  the  Law  of 
Buddha.  It  is  said  that  were  all  Buddhistic  books 


HAIRS  OF  BUDDHA  303 

destroyed,  the  whole  law  could  be  obtained  from 
these  slabs.  In  addition,  there  is  the  large  Queen's 
Monastery,  built  to  expiate  her  many  sins.  The 
biggest  "  bell  that  rings "  is  hereabouts,  and  the 
neighbourhood  contains  many  other  interesting  things 
too  numerous  to  mention. 

The  train  rolled  into  Rangoon  station  in  good  time. 
On  the  platform,  waiting  to  give  me  a  cordial  greeting, 
was  Mr.  McCowen,  secretary  of  the  local  Y.M.C.A. 
He  was  a  prosperous  lawyer,  and  renounced  a  fine  in- 
come to  take  up  his  present  work.  His  salary,  I  am 
told,  is  about  what  he  paid  to  one  of  the  clerks  in 
his  law  office !  The  association  is  working  vigourously 
on  a  sane  plan.  In  this  city  is  the  great  Shwe  Dagon 
Pagoda,  covered  with  plates  of  gold.  It  is  said  to  be 
very  sacred,  as  eight  hairs  of  one  of  the  Buddhas  are 
inside.  I  concluded  from  the  number  of  hairs  on  ex- 
hibition that  Buddha  must  now  be  bald.  But  the 
greatest  sights  of  all  are  the  printing  plant,  schools, 
and  chapels  of  the  American  Baptist  Mission.  This 
society  has  about  five  hundred  self-supporting  churches 
among  the  Karens. 

The  Karen  Prophet,  San  Ye,  is  a  man  of  remarkable 
power.  After  he  was  converted  he  joined  the  church. 
Now  thousands  of  heathen  flock  to  hear  him,  and  he 
frequently  invites  a  missionary  to  preach.  He  has 
already  erected  two  monster  buildings,  and  some  half- 
dozen  more  are  in  course  of  construction.  I  -visited 
this  extraordinary  man  in  company  with  Thomas, 
Vinton,  and  Shapp.  We  travelled  in  a  springless 
ox-cart,  and,  getting  lost  in  the  jungle,  wandered 
about  in  the  bushes  hunting  for  a  road.  It  was  nearly 
midnight.  After  a  while,  another  ox-combination 
came  along,  and  while  we  were  asking  them  to  point 
out  the  road,  an  ox,  in  order  not  to  lose  any  time  or 


304  THE  CAT  IN  THE  BAG 

economize  any  energy,  gave  me  a  terrific  kick  on  the 
knee  joint.  Fortunately,  four  dozens  of  pain  killer 
were  in  the  cart.  A  less  quantity  would  have  been 
sufficient.  We  reached  our  destination  after  midnight. 
Here  were  huge  buildings  in  the  midst  of  the  jungle, 
built  and  paid  for  by  the  heathen.  A  rest-house,  two 
hundred  and  eighty  feet  long,  and  a  granary  the 
same  length,  attracted  my  attention.  On  our  arrival 
word  was  sent  out  by  the  Prophet's  runners,  and  won- 
derful to  relate,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  nearly  a 
thousand  people  crowded  into  the  auditorium  to  hear 
the  Gospel,  and  an  equally  large  audience  gathered  at 
noon.  The  Prophet  has  raised  from  the  natives  over 
four  lacs  of  rupees  for  Christian  work.  He  owns  noth- 
ing himself  except  a  steam  launch,  which  is  for  the 
use  of  missionaries.  He  will  not  allow  his  picture  to  be 
taken  for  fear  the  people  would  worship  it,  his  instruc- 
tions to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.  When  the  col- 
lection is  taken,  the  people  crowd  forward  and  drop 
their  contributions  into  a  silver  vessel  containing  water. 
"  Money  is  hot,"  he  says,  "  and  should  be  cooled  off." 
He  is  a  kind,  humble,  magnetic  man. 

Another  day,  a  few  of  us  went  out  into  the  jungle  to 
hunt.  Having  heard  much  about  the  size  of  the  wild 
boars,  the  deer,  tigers  and  snakes,  I  suggested  that 
we  should  climb  trees  with  our  guns  while  the  natives 
beat  the  jungle  and  set  it  on  fire.  On  account  of  my 
mishap  with  the  active  ox,  I  found  it  difficult  to  per- 
form the  feat  of  "  shinning  up,"  as  the  boys  say,  and 
then  found  it  harder  still  to  maintain  my  position  on 
the  perch.  However,  I  steadied  myself  while  the  bush 
was  beaten,  and  out  popped  a  wild  cat  and  a 
deer.  I  bagged  the  former  at  seventy-five  yards  with 
my  revolver,  but  the  deer  evidently  had  urgent 
business  elsewhere,  and  vanished  before  the  hunters 


MISTAKES  OF  MISSIONARIES        305 

could  shoot  it !  So  the  cat  constituted  the  'bag,  and  we 
took  it  back  with  us  and  had  it  cooked  at  a  native 
village  near  by.  I  sat  on  the  floor  with  the  Karens 
and  the  cat  was  served  a  la  fingers.  The  natives  en- 
joy the  flavour  of  wild  cat.  I  myself  ate  a  morsel 
and  found  it  very  tasty!  I  was  seized  with  an 
irresistible  fit  of  generosity  and  left  the  remainder  for 
the  natives.  That  is  the  first  time  I  have  eaten  cat  to 
my  knowledge !  But  it  was  a  case  of  "  What's  in  a 
name  ?  "  and  the  associations  of  the  animal  just  then 
occurred  to  me.  But  I  have  dined  at  restaurants  all 
over  the  world,  and  feline  ingredients  may  possibly 
have  masqueraded  as  "  dry  hash  !  " 

Even  missionaries  are  fallible.  With  much  diffi- 
dence and  caution,  I  herein  offer  this  criticism  of  mis- 
sionaries, those  good  people  who,  like  the  rest  of 
us,  sometimes  make  mistakes.  Some  would  suggest 
that  the  missionary  is  a  sort  of  celestial  being  let  down 
upon  the  earth,  like  Peter's  Sheet,  for  admiration 
alone,  and  is  altogether  too  heavenly  to  be  corrected. 
With  all  such  I  hereby  disagree,  and  so  will  the  mis- 
sionary. 

Mistake  No.  i.  Not  employing  more  servants. 
Missionaries  should  be  severely  censured  (there  are 
exceptions)  for  not  keeping  more  servants.  To 
illustrate:  milk  is  needed,  especially  for  infants  and 
invalids.  Chinese  cows  give  little  milk,  and  one  baby 
in  Chowtung  can  use  all  that  can  be  got  from  one  cow ! 
At  home  milk  is  brought  to  the  door  by  the  milk- 
man, who  is  a  servant  of  many  people.  Here  the  cow 
has  to  be  bought,  and  a  man  trained  to  milk  it  and 
look  after  it.  This  is  one  servant  the  missionary 
should  employ.  The  corresponding  servant  at  home 
is  a  smart  milkman  who  can  serve  many  families. 
The  milkman  here  is  a  duffer,  and  has  to  be  taught 

U 


306  THE  SERVANT  QUESTION 

by  the  missionary  who,  may  be,  knows  little  about  the 
matter  himself.  So  it  is  better,  cheaper,  and  safer 
to  see  to  the  matter  himself.  But  the  missionary 
should  employ  a  milkman!  Then,  too,  water.  Hot 
and  cold  water  are  "  laid  on  "  in  the  houses  of  many 
labouring  men  at  home  by  the  water  companies,  who 
are  the  servants  (  ?)  of  the  public.  Missionaries  must 
hire  men  to  draw  water  and  bring  it  to  the  mission 
house.  It  is  nonsense  for  them  to  think  of  getting  on 
without  water;  they  would  soon  be  indistinguishable 
from  the  heathen ! 

A  cook  is  a  great  nuisance  in  China.  He  has  to  do 
the  buying  and  makes  a  squeeze  on  all  purchases.  In 
the  Celestial  Empire  you  have  to  haggle  over  the 
price  of  everything,  even  cabbages  and  potatoes. 
Suppose  instead  of  the  women  missionaries  learning 
the  language  and  teaching  the  people,  they  went  in 
for  street  talk,  and  spent  an  hour  a  day  in  getting 
bargains  in  the  way  of  cabbages,  radishes,  thin  legs  of 
mutton  and  so  forth,  they  would  have  lots  of  fun, 
stacks  of  it,  but  every  critic  would  say  (and  they  truly 
do  say)  "  Why  does  not  that  woman  set  to  work  and 
teach  the  people?  She  was  not  sent  out  to  haggle 
and  make  bargains,  but  to  teach  and  preach."  The 
homes  of  missionaries  are  open  houses,  and  must  the 
missionary's  wife  cook  for  all  ? 

In  America  and  Europe  when  children  are  old 
enough,  they  are  sent  off  to  schools  for  five  hours  a 
day,  giving  the  mother  rest  and  time  for  other  duties. 
But  here  the  missionary  lady  has  to  instruct  her  own 
children.  She  should  have  a  teacher  for  the  children. 
The  missionaries  should  have  as  many  servants  as  the 
working  people  at  home.  Folks  at  home  have  armies 
of  servants!  Butchers,  bakers,  candlestick  makers, 
electrical  engineers,  water  engineers,  milkmen,  school 


GUNS  FOR  MISSIONARIES  307 

teachers,  doctors  and  preachers.  Poor  servant-starved 
missionary!  Here  the  pioneer  of  the  Gospel  has  to 
be  all  these  at  once.  Outside  the  ports  the  cook  gets 
less  than  two  gold  dollars  per  month,  and  he  gets 
everything  else  he  can,  and  must  be  taught  in  every 
department,  for  he  is  green  as  onion  tops. 

Mistake  No.  2.  Not  keeping  and  using  firearms! 
While  writing  the  last  sentence  in  Old  Pan's  monster 
inn  at  Chusiung  Fu  in  Yunnan  Province,  it  was  sug- 
gested that  the  pay  of  missionaries  is  not  sufficient 
to  enable  them  to  procure  the  necessary  servants. 
Hundreds  of  missionaries  in  the  Central  Kingdom 
receive  but  twenty  gold  dollars  a  month.  The  labour- 
ing man  who  comes  to  my  residence  in  beautiful 
Doylestown,  to  plant  onions  or  dig  post  holes,  gets  more 
than  that.  He  has  forty  gold  dollars  a  month,  or  at 
least  thirty-six.  He  is  a  first-rate  man,  the  post-digger 
and  onion-planter,  but  no  great  amount  of  money  has 
been  spent  upon  his  education.  He  has  a  common 
school  education.  But  here  in  China  are  medical  men, 
University  graduates,  with  academic  degrees;  men  of 
profound  thought  and  stupendous  energy,  who  are 
working  for  twenty  gold  dollars  a  month,  and  are 
working  hard.  I  have  not  heard  one  missionary  in 
China  complaining  that  he  received  too  little  salary. 
I  know  some  get  higher  wages  than  these  figures,  but 
I  am  speaking  of  the  hundreds  of  earnest  missionaries 
who  work  for  small  amounts, 

"  A  man  that  Fortune's  buffets  and  rewards 
Has  ta'en  with  equal  thanks." 

All  the  way  across  China  I  carried  a  repeating  rifle, 
full  to  the  brim  with  cartridges,  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
shooting  Chinese — game.  For  protection  from  the 
people  firearms  are  less  necessary  than  in  certain 
American  cities,  where  periodical  hold-ups  on  modern 


THE  USES  OF  SPORT 

scientific  principles  prove  the  superiority  of  the  West- 
ern rascal  over  his  Eastern  brother.  For  ninety-nine 
days  I  travelled  across  the  Great  Empire,  with  its  four 
hundred  millions  of  people  and  scores  of  dialects, 
by  night  and  day.  I  was  not  only  not  molested,  but, 
more  than  that,  kindnesses  were  showered  upon  me  as 
the  rose  petals  were  on  Anthony  the  day  Caesar  re- 
fused the  thrice-offered  crown.  Missionaries  are  cau- 
tious, but  they  are  not  cowards.  They  should  keep 
guns  and  ammunition  to  supply  their  tables  with  game. 
The  ducks,  geese  and  edible  cranes  are  numerous. 
On  the  Talifu  Plain  a  passing  British  Consul-General 
found  fourteen  varieties  of  wild  fowl.  Let  the 
Christian  worker  take  a  half-hour  in  the  morning 
and  bring  in  a  fine  bird  for  dinner.  It  would  be  a 
welcome  change  and  freshen  him  up  for  the  duties 
he  has  to  perform.  Where  the  variety  of  good  food  is 
scant,  a  fine  bird  would  not  displease  the  family.  Send 
your  missionary  friend  a  good  fowling-piece  and  a 
thousand  rounds  of  ammunition.  Be  sure  to  prepay 
the  freight  and  insure  the  gun. 

Mistakes  general.  Now  that  my  journeyings  in 
China  are  completed,  I  wish  to  testify  to  the  culture, 
kindness,  and  commonsense  of  the  missionary  body  as 
a  whole.  Indeed,  in  all  these  things  I  have  found  them 
vastly  superior  to  the  tramp  critics  who  have  taken 
their  cream,  accepted  their  good  offices,  and  then 
written  or  spoken  from  the  bias  of  their  own  careless 
thinking.  An  across-China  traveller,  who  said  of  his 
father  "I  suppose  the  old  fool  is  praying  for  me  now," 
had  the  following  interesting  experiences  at  a  mission- 
ary's home.  "  The  cream  had  been  taken  off  the 
day's  milk  to  do  the  stranger  honour.  He  was,  of 
course,  entertained  free.  At  tea  three  ladies  were 
present,  two  unmarried.  The  grand  traveller,  who 


A  MIGHTY  NIMROD  309 

afterwards  sneered  at  ladies,  liked  the  cream,  and  the 
others  generously  let  him  have  it.  The  doctor  swal- 
lowed it  all!  Cleared  the  plate!  Complete  victory! 
Brave  man!  Polite  man!  Respector  of  ladies! 

Doctor !    Bah !  this  same  man  talked  about  Miss 

of  Suifu.  He  talked  about  Chowtung  and  Tong- 
chuan."  Shades  of  George  Washington!  His  criti- 
cisms are  the  undigested  observations  of  a  reserveless 
man.  What  a  critic  of  missions !  Men  who  would  not 
steal  a  copper,  will  steal  a  good  missionary's  reputa- 
tion. It  is  not  always  true  that 

"A  dunce  that  has  been  sent  to  roam 
Excels  a  dunce  that  has  been  kept  at  home." 

A  certain  man  went  hunting  in  the  delta  of  the  Ir- 
rawaddy.  A  mighty  Nimrod  was  he.  Four  men  ac- 
companied him.  One  carried  the  gun,  one  the  ladder, 
one  the  umbrella,  and  the  fourth  whiskey  and  soda. 
He  was  more  expert  with  the  last  than  with  the 
first.  A  dazed  deer  stood  by  a  tree  while  he  fired  at 
it  four  times.  Failing  to  hit  it,  he  handed  the  rifle  to 
a  native  who  killed  the  deer  at  the  first  shot.  The  gen- 
tleman had  taken  so  much  liquid  refreshment  that  he 
saw  double  and  shot  the  wrong  deer!  Let  us  listen 
to  his  opinion  of  missions  and  missionaries!  Yet  in 
the  club,  where  liquid  is  dispensed,  his  statements 
"  from  personal  knowledge  "  will  be  applauded !  But 
there  are  honourable,  intelligent,  conscientious  critics 
of  missions.  To  such,  facts  will  appeal. 

The  business  methods  of  the  missionaries  are  to  be 
commended.  They  handle  the  Lord's  money  given 
by  His  people  in  the  most  careful  way.  The  China 
Inland  Mission  undertook  to  finance  me  across  China. 
That  is,  in  Shanghai  I  turned  over  so  many  hundred 
gold  dollars  to  them,  and  they  gave  me  sight  drafts  on 
any  place  where  they  have  central  stations  and  wherever 


3io  PILLS 

I  would  want  money.  Without  a  single  exception, 
everything  was  promptly  done.  Good  business  men 
are  attending  to  the  mission  merchandise.  The 
missionary  societies  are  doing  a  splendid  work,  the 
self-sacrifice  and  devotion  of  their  representatives 
being  beyond  all  praise.  Never  have  I  seen  money  go 
further  in  accomplishing  the  purpose  for  which  it  was 
given. 

I  would  give  another  kindly  word  of  caution  to  the 
missionaries — avoid  hobby-riding.  Let  this  be  written 
large!  Let  the  cranks  at  home  ride  hobbies.  Keep 
off  side-tracks!  Take  bile  pills  when  the  liver  is  out 
of  order.  You  may  be  a  firm  or  confirmed  faith  curist ; 
I  shall  not  interfere  with  you  on  that  score,  but  for 
the  sake  of  the  persons  about  you,  take  pills  and  prayer 
mixed.  On  different  parts  of  this  planet  I  have  met 
educated,  earnest,  energetic  missionaries  who  have 
held  to  the  no-medicine  idea.  They  have,  at  times, 
made  the  night  hideous  and  the  day  nerve-destroying 
to  those  around  them.  Take  pills,  brother,  take  pills ! 
It  does  not  discredit  the  ability  and  power  of  the 
Supreme  Being  to  cure  yourself  with  medicine.  Re- 
member that 

"Wisdom  is  ofttimes  nearer  when  we  stoop, 
Than  when  we  soar." 

Take  prayers  and  pills  for  physical  ills,  and  do  not 
scar  and  mar  the  tempers  near  you.  If  you  will  hold 
to  the  no-medicine  idea,  then  use  the  graces  plenti- 
fully to  keep  yourself  comfortable  and  not  cause  others 
to  suffer  from  your  weak  faith!  Missionaries  in 
China  should  not  "  have  nerves." 

And  now  my  long  and  varied  journey  is  over.  This 
volume  should  have  a  peculiar  flavour,  for  it  has  been 
written  on  the  wing — parts  in  native  inns  at  nights, 
parts  while  riding  in  a  mountain  chair,  parts  in  the 


MISSIONS  AND  COMMERCE          311 

snows  of  lofty  mountain  passes,  parts  on  the  hot  low- 
lands, parts  in  the  homes  of  missionaries,  parts  on 
boats  sailing  up  the  mighty  Yangtze,  and  parts  while 
waiting  for  the  faithful,  plodding  coolies  to  catch  up 
with  me  after  a  lively  sprint.  It  has  been  prepared 
by  light  and  night,  some  written  by  hand,  some  dic- 
tated to  my  secretary,  and  some  struck  off  on  my 
own  typewriter.  As  I  look  back  over  the  route,  I 
think  of  the  many  labourers  who  are  spending  life  and 
money  to  lift  up  the  Chinese  into  a  better  life.  They 
are  nobly  doing  a  grand  work  without  snivelling.  This 
work  should  appeal  to  all  classes — to  those  who  gladly 
pay  God's  taxes  as  well  as  the  country's  taxes,  and 
esteem  it  a  privilege  as  well  as  a  duty  to  help  precious 
souls,  and  to  those  who  in  any  way,  direct  or  indirect, 
have  business  relations  with  China.  The  missionaries 
open  the  way  for  commerce  and  trade.  The  mission- 
aries make  the  best  books  on  China,  both  English  and 
native. 

The  missionaries  set  a  godly  example  of  high  spir- 
itual living  to  the  Chinese,  for  which  they  are  heartily 
and  cordially  despised  by  the  European  winebibber  and 
profligate.  The  highest  officers  of  the  United  States 
Government  in  Peking  and  Shanghai  employ  men  for 
translators  and  interpreters  who  have  had  experience 
as  missionaries,  and  the  men  who  now  do  the  trans- 
lating for  the  American  Minister  in  Peking  and  the 
Consul-General  in  Shanghai  got  their  experience  and 
knowledge  of  China  and  the  Chinese  language  in  the 
slums  and  smells  of  Chinese  cities,  just  as  other  mis- 
sionaries are  doing.  The  outport  Consuls  would  em- 
ploy missionaries  as  translators  if  they  could  get  them 
to  give  up  missionary  work. 

But  what  I  admired  most  in  missionaries  was  their 
sincere  devotion  to  duty  and  their  inflexible  determina- 


312  DEVOTION  TO  DUTY 

tion  to  win.  None  doubted  the  final  issue.  Few  were 
discouraged.  And  yet  they  live  in  cities  along 
whose  streets  the  foreign  diplomats  would  hold  their 
noses.  The  English  language  is  too  poverty-stricken 
to  describe  the  odours  of  a  Chinese  intra-mural  town. 
The  missionaries  make  their  abodes  in  these  same 
towns  and  cities,  for  immortal  souls  are  there.  Let  me 
repeat  it,  they  are  doing  a  splendid  work  for  God  and 
for  the  world.  And  those  who  work  with  them,  in 
the  glorious  cause  of  winning  men  for  Christ,  should 
afford  them  their  cordial  sympathy  and  their  generous 
support. 


780 


